Hiring guide · APAC
How to hire in Taiwan
To hire in Taiwan you need an entity enrolled in labour insurance, National Health Insurance and the labour pension system, or an Employer of Record that is. Employer contributions add roughly 17–18% of salary, including a mandatory 6% pension contribution, with monthly payroll.
- Currency
- TWD
- Payroll cycle
- Monthly
- Employer cost
- ~17–18%
- Notice
- 10–30 days by service
The talent market in Taiwan
Taiwan is the global centre of semiconductor manufacturing and holds deep hardware, firmware and electronics engineering talent around Taipei, Hsinchu and Taichung. Software and cloud talent is thinner but growing, and English proficiency is strongest in export-facing roles.
The Labor Standards Act is prescriptive on working hours, overtime premiums and the one fixed and one flexible rest day per week, so shift and on-call design needs to be checked against the statute rather than assumed.
Salary benchmarks in Taiwan
Indicative annual gross base salary in TWD for common roles. Treat these as planning ranges — actual offers move with city, seniority, sector and equity mix, and we model a live benchmark before you go to offer.
| Role | Annual gross base |
|---|---|
| Software engineer (mid) | TWD 1,100,000 – 1,700,000 |
| Senior software engineer | TWD 1,700,000 – 2,600,000 |
| Account executive (SaaS) | TWD 1,200,000 – 2,000,000 incl. variable |
| Customer support specialist | TWD 550,000 – 800,000 |
Employment rules and payroll in Taiwan
The statutory framework any offer has to sit inside — hours, leave, notice and the contributions that turn salary into fully loaded cost.
Working week
40 hours, with one fixed and one flexible rest day
Probation
Not defined by statute; 3 months by contract is common
Notice period
10 to 30 days depending on length of service
Paid leave
3 days after six months, rising with service to 30 days
Public holidays
Around 12 statutory days
Payroll cycle
Monthly, with a Lunar New Year bonus convention
Employer contributions
Labour insurance, employment insurance, National Health Insurance and a 6% labour pension contribution
Contractor, EOR employee or your own entity?
Three ways to engage someone in Taiwan. The right one depends on how permanent the role is, how much direction you give, and how much local risk you want to carry.
Contractor
Fastest to start and simplest to end. Suitable for genuinely independent, project-scoped work where the person controls how and when they deliver, invoices you, and works for other clients. No statutory benefits, no notice period, no severance.
Employee via EOR
The right structure for a full-time role with fixed hours, managerial direction and exclusivity. A licensed in-country partner is the legal employer, so the person gets a compliant contract, statutory benefits and local payroll — without you opening an entity.
Your own entity
Worth it once headcount, permanence and local revenue justify the incorporation, tax registration, statutory filings and local directorship. Most companies reach that point somewhere between 15 and 30 employees in a single country.
Misclassification risk in Taiwan
Taiwanese authorities assess subordination in personnel, economic and organisational terms. Reclassification brings retroactive labour and health insurance enrolment with penalties, the 6% pension contribution from the original start date, and statutory severance exposure on separation.
Work permits and right to work
Foreign professionals need a work permit from the Ministry of Labor plus a resident visa and ARC, generally requiring a degree plus two years' experience or a higher-education qualification and a salary above the specified threshold. The Employment Gold Card offers a self-sponsored alternative for qualifying specialists.
Hire in Taiwan without an entity
TalentStores orchestrates Employer of Record employment in Taiwan through licensed in-country partners, with cost modelled before you extend an offer.
Explore Employer of Record- Fully loaded cost modelled before offer
- Licensed partner matched, not assumed
- One contract, one consolidated bill
Hiring in Taiwan: frequently asked questions
Can we hire in Taiwan without a local company?
Yes. A Taiwanese Employer of Record employs the person through its own registration, enrols them in labour insurance, National Health Insurance and the labour pension, and can sponsor work permits for eligible foreign professionals.
What is the 6% labour pension contribution?
Employers must contribute at least 6% of an employee's monthly wage into their individual labour pension account under the new pension system. It is a hard statutory floor and sits on top of labour and health insurance contributions.
What is the Employment Gold Card?
It is a combined open work permit, resident visa, ARC and re-entry permit for qualifying foreign specialists, valid one to three years. Because it is not tied to a single employer, it removes sponsorship from the hiring timeline for candidates who hold one.
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Get the Taiwan Hiring Cost Guide
A country brief covering fully loaded employment cost in TWD, salary benchmarks by role, statutory contributions, leave and notice rules, and a sample offer breakdown for Taiwan.