Setting salary bands that attract outside without breaking fairness inside
From market benchmarking to internal equity — a practical checklist for grading and pay design.
Singapore search firm · Dedicated Taiwan teamSingapore search standards,
Singapore search standards,
aimed at Taiwan's semiconductor market.
HiReKing is a Singapore search firm with a team built specifically for Taiwan, focused on semiconductor and advanced manufacturing talent. Every consultant comes from a leading Taiwanese search firm and brings a local industry network - running on the process, candidate vetting and data governance standards of our Singapore parent.
Taiwan (primary market)Singapore (HQ)MalaysiaVietnam
Who we are
From Singapore, built for Taiwan
HiReKing's roots are in Singapore - a market where executive search is run as a professional service, with defined process, compliance and client-data governance. We brought that framework to Taiwan, but we did not simply copy the Singapore playbook.
Taiwan's semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sector has its own rhythm: shift culture in fabs and OSAT plants, the commuting radius around the Hsinchu and Tainan science parks, the weight of stock bonuses and year-end pay in every negotiation. Only people who have recruited here understand that. So every consultant on the Taiwan team came from a leading Taiwanese search firm.
What the combination actually changes
- Vetting is not a formality - credentials, reasons for leaving and non-compete exposure are checked item by item, to HQ standard.
- Data protection is built into the process - collection, use and retention of candidate data follow explicit rules, not a consultant's personal laptop.
- Conflict of interest is written down - we do not source from clients we serve, and the scope and duration are agreed up front.
- Local judgement stays local - how a role is framed and how pay is negotiated is decided by consultants who know this market.
Recruitment
Four ways to bring people in — for four different problems
Not every vacancy should be filled the same way. We look at urgency, cost structure and where employer liability should sit before recommending an approach.
Permanent Placement
Key and hard-to-fill roles. We approach passive candidates who are not actively job hunting. Success-based fee with a replacement guarantee.
Explore permanent placementContract & Temporary Staffing
Flexible cover for projects, peak seasons or headcount freezes. We act as the employer of record and handle payroll and statutory filings.
Explore contract staffingVolume Hiring & RPO
New lines, new sites, seasonal intakes. Run as a project, or as an embedded team taking over your whole hiring process.
Explore volume hiringPayroll & Statutory Outsourcing
Payroll runs, labour and health insurance, pension contributions and withholding filings. Move the repetitive admin and compliance risk off your desk.
Explore payroll outsourcingHR Consulting
Once people are in, does your HR system hold?
Recruitment solves an empty seat. The deeper problem is usually retention, management capability and pay that nobody can explain. Our consulting line covers exactly that: job architecture and pay structure, performance systems, labour compliance, employee relations and attrition analysis.
- Organisation and job architecture review — role mapping, grading, salary bands and market benchmarking.
- Labour compliance review — working hours, overtime, leave, contracts and work rules.
- Employee relations and attrition analysis — structured exit interviews that surface the real cause.
- HR process design — rebuilding the flow from hiring and onboarding through review and exit.
When you need a consultant, not just more hires
- The same seat has turned over three times this year.
- You pay at market rate and people still leave.
- Grades are ad hoc; raises and promotions have no basis.
- Labour inspections, disputes or overtime calculations keep you up at night.
- Each overseas site runs its own version of HR.
Industries
We take on the industries we actually know
Semiconductor is our main ground; the other three are adjacent markets that talent moves between.
Semiconductor (core practice)
Wafer fabrication, OSAT, IC design, and semiconductor equipment and materials. Process, equipment, integration, yield, packaging and EDA/IP talent, through to plant leadership.
Semiconductor practiceAdvanced Manufacturing & Electronics
Display, passive components, PCB, optoelectronics and precision machinery - process, equipment, QA, automation and plant leadership, including overseas assignments.
Manufacturing recruitmentTechnology & IT
Firmware, embedded, backend, data and security engineers, plus product managers, engineering leads and CTO-level hires - heavily overlapping with semiconductor software demand.
Technology recruitmentFinancial & Professional Services
Accounting, finance, compliance, risk and legal roles where credentials and background checks matter - including finance and legal build-outs inside technology firms.
Financial services recruitmentHow we work
From the first call to the first day
The process is transparent. Timelines and responsibilities are agreed up front, and you always know which stage the search is at.
01
Briefing and role definition
We do more than take the JD. Why does this role exist, why did the last person leave, what does the hiring manager actually expect, and what is the real salary band? If the brief is unrealistic we will say so — an impossible brief never closes.
02
Search strategy and talent mapping
We define target companies and titles, approach passive candidates directly, and report back what the market actually supplies and what it costs.
03
Screening and in-depth interviews
Every shortlisted candidate is interviewed by a consultant. You receive motivation, reasons for leaving, salary expectations and any risks we see — never a forwarded CV.
04
Interviews and offer negotiation
We coordinate interviews, collect feedback both ways, and manage the offer stage — pay, start date and counter-offer risk.
05
Onboarding follow-up and guarantee
We check in after the start date. If the hire does not work out within the guarantee period, we replace them at no additional fee — and we tell you what we noticed about the organisation along the way.
Insights
Notes from the hiring floor
Planned topics — these cards will be replaced by the articles once written.
Coming soon
Dispatch, contracting, fixed-term: where the legal lines actually fall
Who carries employer liability, when an arrangement gets reclassified, and how to lower the risk.
Five HR mistakes Taiwanese manufacturers make in Southeast Asia
Local pay structures, expatriate packages, unions and labour relations — from the field.
FAQ
What employers ask us most
A fair question, and we will not dodge it: the HiReKing Taiwan team is genuinely new. But what is new is the brand, not the people. Every consultant on the Taiwan team came from a leading Taiwanese recruitment or search firm, and the assignments they have run and the networks they have built came with them.
The other half is the framework: we operate on our Singapore parent's standards, with written rules for candidate vetting, data protection and conflict of interest. In practice a new brand carries one real advantage - we have no existing commitments to your competitors, so no part of the market is off-limits to our search.
If you are still unsure, the sensible test is to give us one role and judge us on the outcome rather than on our incorporation date.
The other half is the framework: we operate on our Singapore parent's standards, with written rules for candidate vetting, data protection and conflict of interest. In practice a new brand carries one real advantage - we have no existing commitments to your competitors, so no part of the market is off-limits to our search.
If you are still unsure, the sensible test is to give us one role and judge us on the outcome rather than on our incorporation date.
Permanent placement is success-based: a percentage of the hire's salary, invoiced after the start date, with a replacement guarantee. Contract staffing and payroll are billed monthly or per head. Consulting is scoped and quoted per project. You always get the rate in writing after the briefing — no hidden fees.
The guarantee period is set in the contract and varies by seniority and service type. If the hire leaves or does not work out within it, we run a replacement search at no additional fee. The terms are agreed in writing before we start.
For standard roles, a first shortlist usually follows within days of the briefing. Scarce and senior roles take longer to map. We give you an honest timeline at the briefing rather than accepting the assignment and hoping.
Taiwan roles are run by the Taiwan team - briefing, search and offer negotiation all happen locally, because judgement about this market should not be outsourced to people who are not in it. Singapore HQ provides the framework and the regional reach: operating standards, data governance, and local coverage when a client also has sites in Singapore, Malaysia or Vietnam.
Yes. Smaller companies often have no dedicated HR function, which is exactly when outside support pays off. You can start with a single search, or hand over payroll and statutory admin — you do not need to adopt everything at once.
Yes. You are welcome to register with us, but please note that HiReKing is engaged by employers to fill specific roles, so the opportunities we can offer depend on our current assignments. A consultant will contact you when there is a genuine fit.