If your company is planning on expanding into Asia, you will need to find a cost-effective and flexible solution for employment of staff.  Whether you plan to send existing employees on assignment from the home office, or want to hire local residents, most countries will require that you set up a legal entity and run a payroll inside the host country.

What this means is that you have two primary choices: a costly and complex DIY approach, or outsourcing employment to an experienced third party such as Shield GEO.

Many companies are turning to a GEO solution to overcome concerns about compliance and to manage changing and complex employment laws in foreign markets. Shield GEO can be your partner in global mobility, and a ready resource to employ your staff in Asia-Pacific.

What We Do

Shield GEO is a global employment solution with representatives in Asia Pacific, the UK, the US and South Africa. Our experienced staff work with multinationals who need to employ their workers sent on assignment quickly, with minimal administrative effort.

Global Employment Services

When you engage Shield GEO to take care of your employees on assignment, you will receive the full benefit of our experience and knowledge in host country employment, immigration and labor regulations.  Our dedicated, end to end employment solution is available in more than 90 different countries, including every Asian market.

The Employer of Record

The core of our service is providing a local Employer of Record (EOR) to be the legal, de facto employer in the host country of business activity.  The EOR is a registered entity that already is in compliance with local employment laws and prepared to set up payroll, sponsor work permits and meet all tax and withholding requirements for your employees.

A Focus on Asia

For many companies, the Asian markets offer significant business opportunities, but for those firms located in the US or Europe the distance, time zone differences and distinct legal requirements can be a challenge.  This is where we can help you, by offering our GEO service to your company from our regional Asia-Pacific hub, giving you a unique strategic edge when entering these lucrative markets.

The Shield GEO Advantage when Expanding into Asia

Here are some advantages that Shield GEO offers over other similar GEO services that are based in Western countries:

– Our regional hub in Australia can cater to and access the Asia Pacific region easily for you as one of our clients.  If you’re looking for a provider with a deep understanding of what it means to do business in Asia, Shield GEO is the optimal choice.

– We have over 10 years of experience dealing with outsourced employment in the region, and have a thorough understanding of the regulatory nuances between different countries in Asia.  We are in a position to offer you the advantage of deploying workers quickly and easily, with our regional employment support network.

– We have team members physically located in Asia, so that a difference in time zones from your home office is no longer a barrier to address your employees’ needs quickly and in real time.  Shield GEO is your global mobility partner in Asia.

– We can provide localized service from this part of the world, including communication with our local resources and experts on your behalf, and taking care of any issues that arise without delay.

– Our team is also supported by local partners who are subject matter experts in handling employment in Asian countries, as well as offering the legal, registered Employer of Record in each location.

– Shield GEO representatives based in the US and UK can provide a similar real time support network for your HR department’s questions or concerns.  Because we cover multiple continents, there are rarely delays in response time from a representative who takes care of your problem.

Our Team in Asia

While your HR department and management team will still direct and monitor your employees’ daily work activity, you will not have to be concerned about any aspect of local employment or immigration compliance.

Our team of representatives in Asia will provide you with the following employment support:

– You will have an Account Manager (AM) in the region who will be your single point of contact

– We will assist you in meeting host country requirements for employment contracts

– Your AM will obtain visas and work permits for your employees

– A legal payroll will be set up through our local employer of record

– All employment related items will be monitored by in country partners and experts to avoid any compliance issues, or advise you of changes in requirements

– All monthly employment and payroll administration will be handled by the AM, so that your HR department can focus on employee management and business activity

Expanding into Asia: Countries We Can Help Employ Workers

These are some of the Asian countries that we can help you with local employment through Shield GEO’s employer of record.  Each country presents different challenges when expanding to Asia and assigning employees, and here are a few specific examples to consider if you are going to try a DIY employment approach:

India:  India requires all workers on payroll to contribute to the national pension, but only in some cases can those amounts be transferred out of the country.  Shield GEO will take care of the correct withholding from payroll and inform you of pension transfer rules.

China:  China has a strict termination, notice and severance law that could apply for simple repatriations of assigned employees if not followed exactly.  We can make sure that your repatriated employees give proper notice, take de-registration steps and avoid any complications upon departure.

Philippines:  There are unique expectations in the Philippines about holiday pay and bonuses, such as a 13th month salary that is standard for all workers, which has to be computed into the annual salary.

Thailand:  There is a specific statute in Thailand that covers employment of foreigners on assignment, that will be applied to make sure that the job is necessary and could not be performed by a Thai worker.  Shield GEO will help you document the necessity and role of your assigned employee to avoid any immigration issues.

Hong Kong:  Laws on registration and incorporation of foreign businesses have been tightened, and make the use of an GEO solution even more attractive for multinationals just entering this market.

South Korea:  The National Health Insurance premiums have to be adjusted every year as a percentage of salary, and then recalculated if compensation changes.  As a client of Shield GEO, we will handle this for you and make sure that contributions are accurate and any settlement is documented.

Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan:  Each of these active Asian markets have rules and regulations on employment, payroll and immigration requirements for workers on assignment.  Compliance is essential, and any mistake can result in fines, penalties or even limits on business activity.

Shield GEO: We Make Employment Simple in Asia

As you can see from these examples, expanding into Asia and employing local or foreign staff may be more of a challenge than you expected.  Instead of attempting a DIY approach and trying to find local experts to help you, consider the advantages of allowing us to handle your foreign employment needs.  The Shield GEO solution will give you a comprehensive and dedicated employment resource in the Asian region, for both short and long term assignments of your staff.

Shield GEO makes international employment simple. Our customers use Shield GEO to employ and payroll hundreds of workers in over fifty countries. Find out more.