5 Best Regional HR Software for APAC

For businesses operating across the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), managing HR processes through manual or separate local systems can lead to significant inefficiencies. Duplicate data entry, inconsistent records, and time-consuming reporting can slow your business and make it difficult to stay compliant with each country’s labor laws.

To overcome these challenges, 40% of APAC companies use a single HR platform to manage remote employees. Unified platforms like Omni eliminate the inefficiencies of manual processes by automating the entire employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to employee engagement and payroll. This allows HR teams to focus on strategic work that drives growth without juggling multiple tools at once.

In this article, we’ll explore the leading multi-currency payroll tools across Southeast Asia (SEA), the key features to consider before choosing one, and why Omni stands out as the go-to solution for improving productivity and staying compliant.

‍Read next: How Modern HR Data Analytics Software Drives Strategic Talent Alignment

Why Multi-Currency Payroll Matters for APAC Companies

When operating across the APAC region, businesses must be aware of its unique labor laws, cultural norms, and payroll requirements for tax withholdings, social security contributions, and minimum wages. 

For example, while countries like the Philippines and Indonesia mandate a 13th-month pay, others, such as China, regulate mandatory bonuses differently. These varying practices must be factored into payroll calculations to ensure accuracy and compliance. Cloud-based HRMS platforms with strong Asia coverage simplify this multifacetedness by offering businesses:

• Local support: A multi-currency payroll system provides local expertise to guide businesses in handling statutory deductions and filings according to local laws. This support helps you avoid costly fines and compliance penalties that can hinder operations.
• Seamless integration: Multi-currency payroll systems with Asia coverage consolidate payroll, leave management, benefits, and reporting into a single, secure platform. This unified approach ensures an efficient and consistent experience for both HR teams and employees across the region.
• Improved employee experience: Cloud-based HRMS platforms have self-service portals that allow employees to access their payslips, tax documents, and benefits wherever they are in Southeast Asia. Plus, these tools support accurate payments in their local currencies. This reduces payroll-related queries and eliminates conversion losses, making employees more satisfied and financially confident.
• Faster payroll cycles: Instead of running separate payrolls for each location, these tools automatically apply real-time exchange rates, deduct taxes and contributions, and generate region-specific reports. This efficiency ensures employees are paid on time and also reduces the administrative burden on HR teams.

Relevant reading: Multi-Country Payroll Management in APAC: Complete Guide

What to Look for in Multi-Country Payroll Across SEA

While global payroll management presents challenges, the SEA region has unique nuances that demand specific attention. Here are five key features to consider when choosing a multi-currency payroll system for the APAC market:

Data privacy

Data privacy laws vary across APAC, so it’s crucial to ensure your chosen multi-country payroll across SEA safeguards sensitive employee information from unauthorized access and breaches. Look for systems that comply with vital local laws like Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL).

Multi-currency conversion 

Since SEA countries have different currencies, your cloud-based HRMS should seamlessly support multi-currency payments. Transparent pricing models are also important to avoid hidden fees or conversion costs that can reduce employees’ take-home pay and distort your financial forecasts.

Asia coverage

Your multi-currency payroll software should have deep local expertise in each SEA country you operate. The platform should support local languages, currencies, and labor law requirements for compliance and quick response to policy updates.

Integrations and analytics

Your multi-country payroll across SEA should integrate seamlessly with your HRIS, accounting software, attendance trackers, and other business systems for smooth data flow. This integration helps you avoid data silos that can lead to duplicate entries and discrepancies. It also protects employee data, as all business information will be in one secure spot.

See Omni’s integrations

Scalability

Your chosen regional HR software for APAC businesses should grow with your company as your team expands across locations. The multi-currency payroll system must efficiently handle increased employee data, adapt to various payroll requirements, and support multiple compliance rules without slowing down operations.

User-friendliness

Beyond handling growth, the system should be intuitive and easy for HR teams and employees alike to use, from entering payroll data to reviewing payslips, generating reports, and managing leave balances. A user-friendly platform improves adoption and ensures smooth payroll operations across the region.

Read next: Employee Data Management: How HRIS Can Help Achieve Accuracy and Security

5 Best Multi-Currency Payroll and HR Software for APAC

1. Omni HR

Omni HR is purposefully designed for modern businesses expanding across Southeast Asia that need a unified platform for HR, payroll, and compliance needs. 

Unlike legacy global solutions that prioritize Western markets, Omni delivers deep local expertise, handling multi-currency payroll, country-specific compliance, and Asia-first automated workflows, all within a cloud-based HRMS. 

Multi-country payroll across SEA

With Omni, run payroll seamlessly across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines with our multi-currency payroll platform that automates every step from salary calculations to mandatory statutory deductions such as CPF, EPF, SSS, BPJS, MPF, and more, while ensuring full compliance with each country’s tax and labor laws. 

Access my free statutory contribution calculators

Omni’s payroll workflows adapt automatically to local pay cycles, contribution caps, and local tax updates, reducing any manual input and costly compliance errors. Employers can pay teams in multiple currencies and generate country-specific payslips instantly, all from one place. 

“Omni truly understands the challenges HR professionals face, and their platform is perfect for any fast-growing company looking to resolve modern HR problems.”
— Bilal Waris, Head of People & Culture at Wagely

Cloud-based HRMS

Omni’s fully cloud-based HRMS automates the entire employee lifecycle, not just payroll. Manage recruitment, leave, attendance, performance reviews, and offboarding directly in one connected system. 

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Built with an easy-to-use interface and modern automation features, our platform empowers HR teams to scale operations without additional administrative burden. Paired with integrations, Omni allows you to update employee details, benefits, or location instantly and have it sync with payroll cycles. 

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Real-time analytics and compliance alerts

Gain complete visibility into your regional workforce with Omni’s real-time analytics that highlight insights on payroll costs, headcount distribution, and workforce trends. 

Visual dashboards provide HR leaders with at-a-glance insights into actionable metrics like cost-per-hire, turnover rate, diversity metrics, and more. These insights help businesses make data-driven decisions while ensuring compliance without relying on manual tracking. 

Reliable local support 

Unlike traditional systems, Omni offers dedicated local support teams and implementation managers. Whether it’s understanding a new tax rule in Malaysia or configuring Thailand's employee welfare contributions, Omni assists every step of the way. 

Support is available within your time zone, ensuring real-time responses to critical HR and payroll queries. With localized onboarding and implementation support, training sessions, and region-specific best practices, Omni helps your team stay compliant and scale with confidence since day one. 

"The support that comes from the Omni team is unmatched. As a company that is quickly growing, there are constantly new features and functions that we require to serve our mission. Having access to a quick and dedicated chat with Omni's team members in our same time zone helps us make the changes we need to get the most out of our HRIS." 
— Trevor Lim, Head of Operations at Capital Club

Best for: Growing, modern businesses expanding across Asia who want one centralized system to manage people and payroll end-to-end. 

2. Deel

Deel is a multi-country payroll across SEA that helps global organizations hire, onboard, and pay employees and contractors seamlessly in accordance with local regulations. Its features include:

• Integrates with your HR suite, including payroll, compliance, IT, and contractor management for seamless operations.
• Continuously updates localized contracts for every region to reflect changes in legal requirements.
• Automated document collection, W-9s, W-8s, 1099 filings, and global equivalents in one secure platform.
• Accurately calculates region-specific payroll, deducts social security contributions, withholds taxes, and administers statutory benefits to employees.
• AI-driven HR & payroll analytics for real-time insights, instant answers, and automated reports.
• Safeguards sensitive employee data across borders.
• Simple and intuitive user interface with customized roles, workflows, and contracts to match your business structure, locations, and worker types.

Best for: Global teams that want a flexible, compliant solution to hire, pay, and manage remote employees and contractors worldwide.

3. Papaya Global

Papaya Global is a cloud-based HR and payroll software designed to help businesses manage their global workforce efficiently, from onboarding to payments. It simplifies global hiring, payroll processing, benefits administration, and compliance across 160 countries, including the APAC region. Its features include:

• Integrates  HR, finance, ERP, and legal functions into a single platform.
• Automate invoice-to-payment cycles with instant payouts in multiple currencies.
• Onboard, manage, and pay contractors with built-in compliance checks, worker classification, and risk analysis.
• Hire globally with an Employer of Record (EOR).
• Data security and privacy controls, such as ISO 27001, data encryption, role-based access, and multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Best for: Mid-to-large enterprises seeking a unified platform to manage global payroll, contractor payments, and compliance across multiple countries.

4. ADP GlobalView

ADP's GlobalView multi-currency payroll platform streamlines payroll management by consolidating employee data in a single system of record. It offers businesses:

• Access to 3,000+ payroll and tax regulatory professionals to cover payroll compliance obligations globally. 
• Intuitive user experience for faster adoption.
• A single cloud-based platform that supports payroll for enterprises across 40+ countries, with up to 140 countries when combined with ADP Celergo for your smaller subsidiaries.
• Integrates with HCM and other systems with APIs that enable data flows between HR, attendance, and finance systems into payroll.
• Self-service portal that gives employees an interactive experience with configurable alerts, notifications, contextual help, and seamless access to pay information.

Best for: Multinational companies that need a centralized and scalable multi-currency payroll solution.

5. Multiplier

Multiplier is a cloud-based HRMS that helps businesses hire and pay global talent quickly and compliantly in 150+ countries without setting up a legal entity. Its key features include:

• Handles payroll in different currencies, automates tax and statutory contributions, generates payslips, and manages local payroll workflows.
• Supports international moves with visa and immigration support for your global team.
• Built-in compliance with local labour laws to reduce global hiring risk.
• Unified dashboard that handles onboarding, contracts, employee data, payroll, time-off, and real-time insights into workforce metrics.
• Supports global hiring with an Employer of Record (EOR) without setting up local entities.

Best for: Organizations looking to quickly hire and manage employees or contractors globally without setting up local entities.

Best Practices for Managing Multi-Country Payroll Across SEA

When it comes to managing international payroll, local complexities often get in the way. But with these best practices, your company will stay safe:

• Standardize payroll policies while maintaining local flexibility: Regularly update internal HR policies to reflect changes in local labor laws. This reduces errors and creates consistent, company-wide standards such as approval workflows, pay schedules, and reporting formats without compromising on regional compliance or employee satisfaction.
• Integrate HR and payroll under one cloud-based HRMS: Adopt a centralized HR system to standardize processes across jurisdictions and reduce errors and inconsistencies.
• Partner with vendors offering live Asia support and local expertise: They understand the nuances of each country’s labor laws and provide timely, region-specific assistance for faster user adoption and issue resolution.
• Ensure foreign exchange automation and tax-compliance checks: Automated currency conversions lower manual calculation errors, while built-in tax compliance ensures accurate filings and reporting to avoid costly penalties. 
• Build centralized payroll dashboards for analytics and cost insights: Gain real-time visibility into workforce trends, including headcount, payroll expenses, overtime, benefits, and taxes, so HR and finance teams can make informed decisions and forecast payroll needs accurately.

Why a Cloud-Based HRM with Asia Coverage Gives You a Competitive Edge

A cloud-based HRMS with Asia coverage is specifically designed for the APAC region. It offers these perks that set you apart from your competitors:

Unified regional operations

Instead of juggling disparate tools or local vendors, these tools help companies manage hiring, payroll, and compliance across multiple countries from a single system. This prevents data silos, ensures consistency in HR operations, and promotes a well-engaged workforce across Asia.

Regulatory readiness

Cloud-Based HRMS with Asia coverage auto-updates to reflect changes in Asian labor laws and tax regulations across the region. This helps your business stay compliant and frees up HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives instead of monitoring updates manually.

Operational scalability

As your company expands into new markets, these tools support hiring, onboarding, payroll processing, and report generation, while maintaining consistent operations and accurate data. This scalability promotes faster market entry and gives your organization an edge over competitors relying on manual or fragmented systems.

Employee experience

These platforms support local currencies, multiple languages, and region-specific requirements, making it easier for employees to understand their payments and benefits without HR intervention. When employees have a smooth and transparent experience, regardless of their location, they stay engaged and productive, which increases satisfaction and retention.

Streamline Multi-Currency Payroll with Omni

Expanding across APAC may look like juggling multiple payroll systems, currencies, and compliance requirements, but it doesn’t have to be. 

Omni offers a solution for modern businesses looking to scale across SEA, combining multi-country payroll across SEA with a cloud-based HRMS and deep Asia coverage.

With Omni, your HR operations become seamless: 

• Manage payroll across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and more from a single platform. Standardize processes, reduce manual errors, and maintain compliance effortlessly.
• Omni handles currency conversions, statutory deductions, and regulatory updates automatically. HR teams are freed from manual calculations, and payroll accuracy is ensured across multiple regions each time. 
• From recruitment and onboarding to performance and document management, Omni centralizes information in a secure, highly customizable system. Paired with real-time syncing and integration, you get more accurate payroll cycles and eliminate duplicate data entry. 

Aside from that, Omni’s award-winning local support teams provide support according to your time zone. Whether you are a small regional team or employ hundreds of employees across multiple countries, Omni scales effortlessly alongside your unique needs. 

Starting at just US$3 per employee per month, businesses can expand without worrying about system complications. Book a demo with our team today to learn more. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is multi-currency payroll?

Multi-currency payroll refers to a payroll system’s ability to process salary payments in multiple currencies simultaneously. This is essential for companies with employees in different countries, as it ensures accurate pay, avoids costly conversion errors, and maintains compliance with local tax and labor regulations. A robust multi-currency payroll system, like Omni, automates currency conversions, statutory deductions, and generates payslips in each employee’s local currency, helping HR teams manage complex payroll processes seamlessly.

2. Why is multi-country payroll across SEA challenging?

Managing payroll across multiple Southeast Asian countries can be complex due to varying tax laws, social security requirements, pay cycles, and statutory contributions (e.g., CPF in Singapore, EPF in Malaysia, SSS in the Philippines). Each country has its own labor regulations, public holidays, and statutory reporting requirements. A system that supports multi-country payroll across SEA, like Omni, automates compliance for each jurisdiction, adapts to local payroll rules, and reduces the risk of costly errors, allowing businesses to scale across the region with confidence.

3. What’s the advantage of a cloud-based HRMS for regional operations?

A cloud-based HRMS centralizes all HR and payroll processes into one secure platform accessible from anywhere. For companies operating in multiple SEA markets, this ensures:

• Real-time access to employee data and payroll information.
• Automated updates for local compliance and statutory regulations.
• Seamless integration across HR modules, payroll, accounting, and productivity tools.
• Scalable operations as your team grows across countries.

Omni’s cloud-based HRMS allows HR teams to manage the entire employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, attendance, payroll, and performance, without juggling multiple systems and spreadsheets.

4. How do I evaluate “Asia coverage” in HR software?

Asia coverage refers to an HR or payroll system’s ability to support multiple countries in the region, including local compliance, currencies, languages, and statutory reporting. 

When evaluating Asia coverage, consider:

• Does the platform support the countries you operate in with country-specific payroll templates and statutory calculations?
• Are there local support teams in the region available in your time zone?
• Does the system automatically update to reflect changes in labor laws, tax regulations, and social security contributions?

Omni excels in Asia coverage with dedicated local support, automated compliance updates, and multi-country payroll across SEA, ensuring businesses remain fully compliant while scaling.

5. How does Omni help with multi-currency payroll?

Omni’s platform simplifies multi-currency payroll management across SEA by automating every step of the payroll process:

• Employees can be paid in their local currencies (SGD, MYR, PHP, THB, etc.) with accurate conversions.
• Payroll calculations include local statutory deductions, taxes, and benefits.
• Country-specific payslips and reports are generated instantly.
• Integration with HRIS, accounting, and time-tracking tools ensures data accuracy and reduces manual errors.
• Real-time analytics provide insights into payroll costs, headcount, and workforce trends across multiple countries.

With Omni, HR teams can streamline payroll operations, maintain compliance, and scale efficiently, all from a single, modern, and cloud-based HRMS.

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