Payroll & Employer
Employer of Record Malaysia
Hire compliantly across SEA without setting up a local entity
We become the legal employer of your hires across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia — handling employment contracts, payroll, statutory contributions, and local labour compliance. You direct the work day-to-day. Per-active-employee pricing through 9 locally-licensed entities. For local hires in their country of residence only.
23+ years
of regional HR group experience
Since 2010
Malaysia EOR practice — SSM No. 202301013635 (1507557-T)
9 entities
across 5 SEA markets
5 currencies
SGD · MYR · THB · VND · IDR
How it works
1
Scope
Confirm the role, country of hire, work location, and the statutory regime that applies. We map each employer obligation before any contract is issued.
2
Onboard
We become the legal employer of record. Your team directs day-to-day work; we handle the employment contract, statutory registrations, and onboarding paperwork.
3
Run
Monthly payroll in local currency. EPF / HRDF / SOCSO / SOCSO (or country-equivalent statutory contributions), leave administration, EA Form annual filings — handled accurately.
4
Adjust
Scale headcount, transition employees to your own entity when you incorporate, or wind down — your call. Documented handover at every stage.
Employer of Record Malaysia — backed by 23+ years of group heritage
Employer of Record is a serious legal undertaking — your hire becomes our employee on paper, with every statutory, payroll, and compliance obligation that follows. People Profilers has operated as a Southeast Asia HR group for 23+ years, with Malaysia operations established 2023, and our EOR practice runs through People Profilers (Services) Sdn. Bhd. — incorporated 10 April 2023 with the specific mandate to provide manpower contracting and payroll services. We operate nine legal entities across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. That depth means accurate EPF, HRDF, SOCSO, and SOCSO contributions on the Malaysia side; correct country-equivalent statutory handling in SG, TH, VN, and ID; and multi-currency payroll administered by people who understand each market — not a generic platform applying templates.
How our EOR pricing works
Every EOR engagement is structured around two transparent components — a service fee calculated as a percentage of the employee's total monthly salary cost (subject to a minimum monthly fee per employee), and pass-through statutory employer contributions at the rates set by each country's regulator. There is no retainer. You pay only for active employees, and every fee is documented in the engagement letter before onboarding begins.
Service fee — % of total salary cost
- ✓Percentage of total monthly salary cost (incl. reimbursements)
- ✓Subject to a minimum monthly fee per employee
- ✓Both % and minimum vary by country (MY, SG, TH, VN, ID)
- ✓Exact rates confirmed in engagement letter before onboarding
Pass-through statutory contributions
- ✓EPF employer portion (Malaysia)
- ✓HRDF, SOCSO, SOCSO at statutory rates (Malaysia)
- ✓Country-equivalent contributions in MY / TH / VN / ID
- ✓Calculated at official rates — no markup, no margin
One-time + situational
- ✓One-time onboarding setup per employee
- ✓Employment contract drafting + statutory registrations
- ✓Annual leave encashment + final settlement at separation
- ✓Optional add-ons: expense management, leave portal access
Engagement letters spell out every fee in writing before onboarding. There is no retainer and no minimum headcount — you pay only for active EOR employees, in the local currency of each country.
When Employer of Record makes sense
EOR fits a specific shape of expansion or workforce challenge — three patterns we see most often across the Malaysia and SEA markets.
Testing a new SEA market
Hire your first salesperson in Thailand or first developer in Vietnam without spending six months on entity incorporation, banking, and tax registration. Validate before committing.
Bridging entity setup
You've decided to incorporate, but the local entity and tax registrations will take months. EOR holds the talent compliantly while your entity comes online — then we transition employees across.
Project & transitional hires
M&A integration teams, fixed-term project resources, market-exit hold-overs — situations where full local incorporation doesn't make economic sense.
EOR engagements employ local talent only — citizens, permanent residents, and others legally entitled to work in their country of hire. For work pass and immigration support on Malaysia-based hires, see our People Advisory & Mobility practice.
"We were juggling three different EOR vendors across Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam — each with their own invoicing format, payroll cycle, and compliance approach. Consolidating to People Profilers gave us one provider, one engagement letter, and one monthly invoice across all three markets. The accounting team got their weekends back."
— Regional HR Director, Industrial Manufacturing MNC
Industries & Functions We Cover
Employer of Record support spans the same industry and functional breadth as our recruitment practice. People Profilers has placed and employed talent across every major Malaysia and SEA industry, backed by 23+ years of regional group heritage across Southeast Asia — your EOR hire will be administered by consultants who know your sector.
Banking & Financial Services
Relationship Managers, Compliance Officers, Operations Analysts, KYC/AML, Trade Finance Specialists
Technology & SaaS
Software Engineers, DevOps, Product Managers, Customer Success Managers, Technical Sales
Manufacturing & Industrial
Production Supervisors, QA Engineers, Maintenance Leads, Procurement Specialists, EHS Officers
Energy & Resources
HSE Coordinators, Field Engineers, Project Managers, Commercial Analysts, Operations Leads
Consumer Goods & Retail
Brand Managers, Category Managers, Trade Marketing, Sales Reps, Retail Operations
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Medical Reps, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacists, Clinical Operations, Quality Specialists
Real Estate & Construction
Property Consultants, Leasing Managers, Project Coordinators, Site Engineers, QS
Logistics & Supply Chain
Warehouse Supervisors, Freight Forwarders, Customs Specialists, Fleet Managers, Procurement
Media & Communications
Account Managers, Content Specialists, Digital Marketers, Designers, PR Executives
Frequently asked questions
Who is the legal employer when I engage People Profilers EOR?
People Profilers becomes the legal employer of your hire — through People Profilers (Services) Sdn. Bhd. (SSM No. 202301013635 (1507557-T)) for Malaysia engagements, or through the relevant in-country entity for Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia hires. Your team continues to direct day-to-day work, set priorities, and manage performance. We handle the employment contract, statutory registrations, payroll, and compliance filings.
EOR is a manpower contracting service, not an Employment Agency service — we are the employer, not an introducer. People Profilers (Services) Sdn. Bhd. is registered with SSM (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia / Companies Commission of Malaysia) to provide manpower contracting and HR outsourcing services, which is the appropriate Malaysia framework for providing EOR and payroll services. Our group also holds JTKSM Employment Agency Licence C No. 1432 (under Agensi Pekerjaan People Profilers Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.) for our separate recruitment and executive search practices, but that licence is not required for EOR.
Who is eligible to be hired through your EOR service?
EOR engagements employ local talent only — Malaysian citizens and permanent residents in Malaysia; Singapore citizens and PRs in Singapore; Thai citizens in Thailand; Vietnamese citizens in Vietnam; Indonesian citizens in Indonesia. In every market, the EOR employee must be legally entitled to work in their country of hire as a local employment relationship.
We do not use EOR to hire foreign nationals into Malaysia on work passes. Under Malaysia's Employment Pass, Professional Visit Pass, and Work Permit (PLKS) framework administered by the Immigration Department, work passes are issued to foreign nationals to work for the sponsoring Malaysia-incorporated company that employs them directly. An EOR arrangement — where the legal employer (PPSMY) differs from the operating principal — would not meet this direct-employment requirement. (See Immigration Department — Expatriate Services Division for the official framework.)
If your overseas company wants Malaysia-based talent on work passes, the standard route is to either set up a Representative Office through MIDA (Malaysian Investment Development Authority), or incorporate a Malaysia company through SSM. If you need work pass or immigration support for a genuine Malaysia-based hire, that's handled by our separate People Advisory & Mobility practice, operated under our EA-licensed entity (APPPMY, JTKSM Licence C No. 1432).
Which countries can you act as Employer of Record in?
People Profilers operates nine legal entities across five SEA markets: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We can act as Employer of Record in all five jurisdictions, using the locally licensed entity for each country.
Each engagement is administered in the local currency — MYR, SGD, THB, VND, or IDR — with statutory contributions applied at the rates set by each country's regulator.
How is the EOR service fee calculated?
Our EOR service fee is calculated as a percentage of the employee's total monthly salary cost — including base salary and regular reimbursements. The fee is subject to a minimum monthly amount per employee, which ensures a baseline level of service coverage regardless of salary band.
Both the applicable percentage and the minimum monthly fee vary by country (MY, SG, TH, VN, ID), reflecting the local cost-to-employ structure, statutory framework, and operational complexity in each market. Your exact percentage and minimum are documented in the engagement letter before onboarding begins.
There is no retainer, no minimum headcount, and no charge for months when no employee is active.
How are statutory employer contributions handled?
Statutory employer contributions are passed through at the official rates set by each country's regulator — EPF, SOCSO, EIS, and HRDF for Malaysia employees; country-equivalent statutory contributions for Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia hires. We calculate, remit, and report them on your behalf, with no markup applied.
Each monthly invoice itemises the statutory contributions separately from the admin fee so you can see exactly what was remitted to which authority.
What if I want to transition my EOR employee to my own entity later?
Transitioning an EOR employee to your own entity is straightforward once your local company is set up. We coordinate the employment handover, complete final payroll and statutory filings under our entity, and support a clean transfer of the employment relationship.
We do not charge a transition penalty — the EOR engagement simply ends when the employee moves to your entity, with documented handover at every step.
Explore our other services
Need something different? Browse our other broad service categories.
Build strong teams with confidence. Our recruitment solutions connect you with the right talent, at the right time, using a consultative approach that prioritises long term fit and performance.
Simplify workforce management while staying compliant. Our employer and payroll solutions reduce administrative burden and allow you to focus on growing your business.
