Introduction
Are you expanding into Asian markets? Huge opportunity, right? But you should also know that hiring talent across borders is not as simple as it sounds.
Most leaders I speak to are always stuck with the same three things: hiring takes a lot of time, compliance issues are always there, and costs get out of control.
Traditionally, the solution is setting up a local entity. But the problem is that it can take months and cost you a lot of money before you have even made your first hire.
But you don’t have to do it the old way anymore. There are tools like employer of record(EOR) partners, modern ATS platforms, integrated HR systems, and solid retention programmes that can help you build teams across Asia, much faster, and also stay compliant.
In this article, let’s learn about what these tools are and how they make it happen.
The Hiring Bottleneck: Speed versus Compliance
When your company is growing and trying to scale, delayed hiring can turn out to be one of the biggest risks for your company.
Let’s suppose you want to set up a legal entity in Singapore or India. Now, naturally, it will take anywhere from 2 to 6 months to set up there. Also, don’t forget about the taxes, labor, and legal rules that vary in each country.
At the same time, the pressure to hire fast is real. In Japan, 88% of employers report talent shortages. On the other hand, demand in the Philippines is growing by over 20% every year.
Every week you are letting go of being stuck in setup is another week of lost opportunities. That is where an employer of record comes in. With it, you can hire quickly while staying compliant and start building your team right away, instead of waiting for months to establish an entity.
Also Read: Staff Leasing Services: How They Boost Business Efficiency
Employer of Record(EOR): Hire Without Any Entity
An employer of record (EOR) acts as the legal employer on your behalf. That means they handle contracts, payroll, taxes, and benefits. You don’t have to worry about any of these and can stay focused on managing your team’s daily work.
Here are the benefits of EORs:
- Hire in days, instead of months
- No upfront costs for entity set up
- Built-in country-specific compliance
- Scalable hiring across multiple Asian markets
| Traditional Entity Setup | Employer of Record (EOR) |
| 2–6 months setup | Hire within 2–3 weeks |
| $15k–$50k setup costs | Pay per employee (monthly) |
| Legal liability is on you | Liability managed by EOR |
| Local HR/payroll needed | Managed by the EOR platform |
Leverage Technology: ATS and Automation
Now, let’s say you have compliance sorted out, but finding and screening the right candidate for you still takes a lot of time. To help you with this, an applicant tracking system (ATS) and recruitment automation tools are there.
Why ATS matters:
- 99% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS software
- It can reduce the time to hire by up to 60%
- It automates resume screening, interview scheduling, and candidate communication.
Impact of ATS on Time-to-Hire
Integrated HR and Payroll Platforms
Do you know what I think the biggest challenge is? Managing multiple platforms for payroll compliance and benefits across countries. It is just inefficient. This is where integrated platforms come in for help. They bring all HR functions to one place.
The problem:
On average, companies make about 15 payroll corrections each pay period. This means around 390 payroll corrections every year on average!
The solution:
Using a single global platform that connects everything together: onboarding → payroll → compliance.
- Real-time compliance updates for local tax and labor laws.
- One dashboard to manage your entire multi-country workforce.
Also Read: How do EOR Providers Ensure Compliance with Local Laws?
| Challenge with Multiple Vendors | Benefits of the Integrated Platform |
| Data silos and duplication | Centralized employee records |
| Frequent payroll errors | Automated compliance updates |
| Vendor coordination delays | Faster onboarding & payroll |
| High admin burden | 40% less HR time spent |
Talent Retention: Beyond Hiring
Fast hiring is only half of the problem. Another challenge is keeping people on board, and as we all know, Asia is a competitive talent market, and here retention becomes critical; otherwise, you will just be repeating the cycle again and again.
Retention strategies:
- Competitive pay and benefits according to each country.
- Flexibility is another major facility, employees look forward to. In fact 83% of APAC employees now prefer hybrid/remote work.
- Employees should also feel growth and engagement with you. There should be well-established career paths, mentoring, and cultural onboarding.
Checklist for retention
- Benchmark local salaries annually.
- Offer hybrid/remote options where possible.
- Provide localized benefits (healthcare, allowances).
- Create clear development paths.
Conclusion
I will conclude it all by saying that Hiring does not have to be a long and complicated process or a compliance nightmare. If you use an EOR to speed things up, integrate HR and payroll for his art focus on retention, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
With this, you will get agile teams at lower costs and built-in compliance, all while keeping your focus and energy on growth.
In such a competitive market, if you are doing this, then you are already ahead of everyone else.
