What it really costs to hire in 5 countries

Source-cited employment rules, a true employer-cost calculator and an independent EOR directory for Canada, Mexico, India, Japan and Thailand. Every fact links to the government source and shows the date we checked it.

Employer cost calculator

Annual gross salaryCurrency

Options and assumptions

Japan: employee is 40–64 (long-term care) Canada: Ontario payroll over $1M (EHT applies)Japan customary bonus (months) Thailand customary bonus (months) Mexico state payroll tax ISN (%) India PF wages as % of gross (min 50) Optional EOR fee (US$/month, e.g. vendor list prices start around $599)

FX: ECB reference rates dated 2026-11-10, via frankfurter.dev. Rates per country are 2026 statutory figures from the cited official sources. Statutory = required by law (including "conditional" items that apply in your situation). Customary = common practice, not required. Employee-side deductions are excluded. Not legal or tax advice.

What changed

All changes →

Canada · effective 2027-01-01
CRA publishes 2027 CPP and EI figures
Source: CRA: CPP rates and maximums
Japan · effective 2026-10-01
Tokyo minimum wage rises to ¥1,280 an hour
Source: Tokyo Labour Bureau (MHLW)
India · effective 2026-09-17
EPF wage ceiling raised from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 a month
Source: PIB: EPFO wage ceiling enhanced
Mexico · effective 2026-05-01
Work week to fall from 48 to 40 hours by 2030
Source: DOF 01-05-2026

The Hire Rulebook, monthly

Five short, sourced items on rule and rate changes in our five countries. Free. Unsubscribe any time.

38 EOR and payroll providers, compared honestly

No pay-to-rank. We only mark a country as covered when we have seen the provider's own page for it.

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Who is behind this

Researched and edited by Michael Baumgartner, SPHR: 25+ years as an HR executive, including Amazon and AWS in Japan, multi-country HR leadership and fractional CHRO work. Published by Work-Life Survival Center.