Recruiting Sales Talent in Singapore: A Guide
Why Hire Sales Talent in Singapore?
Singapore is known for its diverse workforce and multilingual culture, making it a powerful hub for multinational and international companies. As a diverse workforce, they are fluent in Mandarin, English, and other languages in the APAC region. Recruiting sales talent proficient in multiple languages is a great way to tackle emerging markets in Asia, such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam. There are several benefits to hiring talent in Singapore rather than launching entities in these regions: 1) they can prove out these emerging markets with less risk, cost, and complexity; 2) talent can be supported by the local Singapore team rather than being standalone in a region.
This is just one of the many reasons that make Singapore a great place for recruiting sales talent to grow your APAC market share.
Sales account executives engage leads from the SDRs to lead them further into the sales funnel. They nurture leads by presenting solutions to customer pain points to close deals.
Top Challenges in Recruiting Sales Talent in Singapore
Talent Shortage
APAC companies are finding it difficult to find skilled talent despite a wide talent pool. Manpower mentioned that 81% of IT sector employers are experiencing talent shortage, and 24% of companies said that recruiting sales talent is the most difficult.
Increase in Headcount
1 out of 2 Singaporean companies are also planning to increase its workforce in 2026. 45% of these companies say they expect strong hiring activity for sales and business development roles. This means high competition for recruiting sales talent in Singapore for both local and international employers.
Competitive Hiring Landscape
In April this year, Morgan McKinley’s 2025 Salary Guide found that 55% of Singaporean talent are planning to look for new opportunities in the coming six months. Employers are matching this, as 50% say they plan to hire more talent.
Top Channels for Sales Recruitment
Online Professional Networks
There are multiple channels you can use for recruiting sales talent in Singapore. Some of them are Kuubiik, Glassdoor, JobStreet, and Indeed. There are also Singaporean local platforms like Glints and FastJobs.
LinkedIn dominates professional recruiting in Singapore (unlike some other Asian countries) due to its westernised style of doing business. Currently, there are circa $4.4M users on LinkedIn in Singapore, with the largest cohort being professionals between 25-35 years of age.
Referrals
Another powerful channel for recruiting sales talent in Singapore is engaging with your existing team. Current sales talent will know other great sales candidates, either passive or actively looking for new employment. In Singapore, 82% of employers use referral programs, as referred talent shows strong ROI contribution – referral hires tend to stick around longer, and 50% of them stay for at least three years.
Recruitment Agencies
Sales recruitment agencies bring specialised market knowledge and networks you might be too busy to match internally. They are aware of the current skill demands, salary benchmarks, trends, and which candidates fit different sectors. Their databases usually include both active job seekers and passive candidates – working in companies ranging from startups to large enterprises. You also get industry intelligence that can help shape your hiring strategy and approach.
Key Legal Considerations for Sales Recruitment in Singapore
Now that we have a brief overview of recruiting sales talent, here is a list of legal considerations to give you a head start with hiring activities.
Central Provident Fund
CPF, or the Central Provident Fund, is a mandatory percentage that both employers and employees contribute to build their social security savings. This is for Singaporean citizens and permanent residents. The fund is then used for retirement, housing, and healthcare needs.
Employment act
Singapore’s Employment Act is the main law that protects employees working under a contract. If the company is recruiting sales talent in Singapore for their own entity, it means they already have a registered business in the country.
The act provides a threshold for additional employee benefits. $4,500 or below for manual labor roles, and $2,600 or below for office environments. Glassdoor, Indeed, and Jobstreet provide various averages, but they are usually above the SGD 2,600 threshold. The act’s protection secures employees’ core rights, such as sick leaves, timely pay/commissions, and termination notice periods.
Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA)
The Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) protects all Singaporean talent’s right to safety and health. For sales teams, this includes ergonomics, like proper workplace tools and systems, and initiatives for psychological well-being.
Employers recruiting sales talent in Singapore are urged to promote workplace mental health initiatives as sales professionals face stress every day. Employers can start by receiving training to recognise common mental health issues, to build prevention and approach guidelines for workplace mental health hazards.
Employer of Record: Why It Is Important in Recruiting Sales Talent in Singapore
Employer of Record (EOR) is a third-party employer in Singapore. They legally hire the candidate on paper and ensure their employment with you is compliant with Singaporean employment laws.
This setup delivers clear benefits when you’re building your Singapore sales team. You skip the lengthy process of setting up a local legal entity, which saves months and even higher costs.
Companies testing Singapore waters get flexibility without heavy commitments. Your EOR handles work permits, visa applications, payroll, and Central Provident Fund contributions, which are all the compliance pieces that can trip up foreign businesses. EOR helps you avoid getting stuck in the administrative tasks that usually come with international hiring.
Singapore’s employment rules don’t forgive mistakes. Get it wrong, and you face hefty fines plus reputation damage that hurts not just your sales prospects but also your company image.
Growing Sales Teams in Singapore
Salient is one of the first and leading SaaS and sales recruitment agencies in APAC. Our team is market experts in Singaporean talent. Our office in the region allows us to source sales and tech market insights necessary for successful talent sourcing.
Recruiting sales talent in Singapore? Drop us a line, and we’ll reach out within 24 hours.
