Employer of record in China
25 sourced figures on hiring in China, drawn from 7 sources and normalized for comparison: statutory rules, employer cost and exactly what an EOR covers locally. Every figure is dated.
Hiring here: complex, mid-range on cost, and fast to hire via EOR.
Employer of record in China: the statutory snapshot
The headline employer costs, pay floor and worker protections for hiring in China through an employer of record, each figure sourced and dated. 44 EOR providers cover China.
| Minimum wage | CNY 1,930/mo | ILOSTAT, 2024-01-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Employer social security | 24.61% | ISSA Country Profiles, 2024-01-01 |
| Corporate tax | 25% | OECD, 2026-01-01 |
| Notice period | 4.3 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Severance | 23.1 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Annual leave (minimum, once eligible) | 5 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Public holidays | 13 | National government, 2026-10-05 |
| Maternity leave | 12.9 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
As of 2026-10-16. Each value is the winning figure from primary and harmonized sources, resolved by a documented priority chain. Full record with provenance below.
Reading the data
What the figures say about China
Ending an employment contract in China carries statutory severance of 23.1 weeks and a notice period of 4.3 weeks, so exit costs are set in law rather than left to negotiation. Leave entitlements are 5 days of statutory annual leave and 13 public holidays, with maternity leave at 12.9 weeks and no statutory paternity leave (0 weeks). Payroll runs monthly, and no 13th salary is required. Employers should also note the 45 hours per week actually worked, a figure from 2008. On the tax side, the corporate tax rate is 25%, the top personal income tax rate is 45%, and the standard VAT/GST rate is 13%. The labour market shows an unemployment rate of 4.62% across a labour force of 768.1 million people, with GDP per capita at $13862 and inflation at 0.06%. Collective bargaining covers 45% of workers and union density is 44.25%, both measured in 2017.
Where to start
Three ways to hire in China
You are the employer. Lowest per head cost at scale, months to establish.
You direct the work, the provider's local entity is the employer on paper. Compliant in days.
See the 44 providers below ↓Not your employee. Fastest and cheapest, with misclassification exposure.
The full record
Every figure behind the snapshot
Not a guide, a record: 25 figures for China from 7 sources, last refreshed 2026-10-16. Each value carries its source and the date it was pulled. Hover any provenance tag for the full chain.
// recent updates
What changed in China
Checked against official sources on 5 October 2026
No rule changes recorded since we began logging them.
Every figure is sourced and dated. How we verify the data →
The differentiator
What an EOR handles in China
An EOR removes the entity and the payroll machinery. It does not remove your obligations as the people manager.
Provider × country
Who can employ in China
44 providers operate an EOR in China, ranked by Select Score.
Comparing EOR options for China?
Run a side-by-side on the providers that actually operate there.