微旺爱海
Aihire
Mainland China including tier-2 and tier-3 cities, five Southeast Asian markets, Japan and Korea, plus Hong Kong and Taiwan. One delivery standard, but every market has its own permit regime, working language and employment rules — start with the country page, then talk about roles and budget.
We cover three regions: mainland China through 100+ branches across 200+ cities, Southeast Asia across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, and East Asia across Japan and Korea, plus Hong Kong and Taiwan. The hard part of cross-border hiring is never whether people exist — it is work permits, working language, salary benchmarking and which entity employs them. Each country page sets out all four.
Regional headquarters and shared service centres in Kuala Lumpur, electronics manufacturing in Penang, cross-border commuters in Johor Bahru — Malaysian talent is concentrated. The first fork in the road is whether the role is a local hire or needs a foreign work pass.
Singapore has the densest concentration of regional headquarters in Southeast Asia — and the strictest pass rules. EP runs through a points assessment, S Pass is bound by quotas and levies, and the hiring process itself has to satisfy local-first advertising duties. Compliance comes before candidates.
E-commerce, customer service and regional functions in Bangkok; manufacturing and new energy along the Eastern Economic Corridor. Thai opportunity is concentrated in a few places. For foreign staff, the visa and the work permit are two separate things that must be held together — and for customer-facing local roles, Thai is close to a hard requirement.
E-commerce, fintech and consumer teams in Jakarta; manufacturing clusters in Batam and Java. Indonesian talent is highly concentrated. Foreign staff require an approved RPTKA before a stay permit, and for front-line roles Bahasa Indonesia very nearly decides whether a hire can do the job.
E-commerce and consumer teams in Ho Chi Minh City; manufacturing and electronics clusters around Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Bac Giang. Vietnam is absorbing a large share of manufacturing relocation, with rising demand for plant management, engineering and quality roles. Foreign staff need a work permit before a temporary residence card — and for local front-line roles, Vietnamese is a hard bar.
In Japan, whether a foreign hire can start depends on whether their status of residence matches the role; whether a local hire performs well depends on their Japanese. Both gates are real, so settle them before discussing salary.
Internet, games and head-office roles in Seoul and Pangyo; manufacturing and logistics in Gyeonggi and Incheon. Foreign professionals in Korea mostly enter on E-7 and similar categories, where the link between the job and the candidate's background is scrutinised — and for local roles, Korean language ability carries real weight.
Mainland China. Talent supply is unevenly distributed: tier-1 cities compete on technology and senior roles, while tier-2 and tier-3 cities compete on localised volume delivery. Social insurance and housing fund follow local policy, so multi-city employment means confirming the filing location and the employing entity first.
Southeast Asia. The five markets differ sharply in maturity. Singapore works in English and applies the strictest permit and local-first rules. In Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam the local language remains a hard requirement for production and customer-facing roles. Foreign employees generally need a work permit, and the permit category is tightly bound to the role and salary.
East Asia. Japan and Korea share two traits: a high local-language bar and detailed employment rules, with foreign staff requiring the matching status of residence or work visa. They differ in that Japan's residence status system is more finely categorised, while Korea scrutinises the link between visa category and occupation more closely.
| Variable | Why it must be settled first | How markets differ |
|---|---|---|
| Work permit / visa | The category is bound to role and salary, and the wrong one causes trouble at renewal or when the role changes | Singapore splits EP and S Pass with quota constraints; Malaysia uses Employment Pass; Japan works through status of residence; Korea uses E-7 and similar categories; Thailand pairs Non-Immigrant B with a work permit |
| Working language | It defines the size of the talent pool and how interviews must be run | Singapore is English-first; Japan and Korea have a high local-language bar; customer-facing roles in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam generally require the local language |
| Salary benchmarking | Expectations differ widely across markets and stalled negotiations stretch the process | The same role commands very different expectations between Singapore and its neighbours, and regional HQ roles are pushed up further by local competition |
| Employing entity | It decides who signs, who files social insurance and who carries employer liability | Without a local entity you need dispatch or a local partnership structure, and statutory insurance schemes differ market by market |
Decide first whether this is a local hire, an expatriate assignment, dispatch or remote collaboration — that determines permit, contract and salary structure.
Review where the target roles sit locally, what they are paid and who else is hiring, then set a realistic expectation.
Permit category, insurance obligations and contract requirements are checked by the consultant covering that market; thresholds follow the latest rules of the local authority.
Consultants are assigned by market and language, with one shared cadence and reporting format.
We also support hiring in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where assessment and search are handled by Chinese-speaking consultants. Neither market has its own page yet — email us with the roles and location and we will respond directly.
Employment structures differ by market. Depending on the country we advise whether the hire should be made through a local entity, arranged through dispatch, or set up under another compliant structure, and explain the arrangement in the proposal. Each case is confirmed against local law.
Considerably. Singapore has the strictest permit and local-first rules and the highest salary levels. Malaysia and Thailand have denser mid-to-senior talent pools. Indonesia and Vietnam place a heavier weight on local language, making senior technical and management search harder.
Consultants are assigned by market and language. Japanese, Korean, Thai, Bahasa and English roles are each interviewed and assessed by a consultant who speaks that language, with one shared cadence and reporting format.
Our current coverage is the regions listed above. Send us the requirement for any other country and we will assess whether we can deliver before responding.
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