Your perfect software developer is based in Cape Town. She’s got the skills, the experience, and the enthusiasm to join your team. There’s just one challenge: hiring her means navigating South Africa’s complex employment laws, tax requirements, and compliance obligations. That’s why many companies turn to an Employer of Record (EOR) to employ their South African staff.
Working with an EOR enables you to hire employees in South Africa quickly (and compliantly) without the need to set up a local legal entity. It provides a lower risk, faster path to building a South African workforce while maintaining compliance with local regulations.
Ready to start building your remote team but unsure which EOR is the right fit for your business? In this guide, we’ll explore five of the top options for global remote hiring in South Africa.
Key takeaways:
- South Africa offers access to exceptional talent across technology, finance, and creative industries.
- Hiring employees in South Africa requires navigating intricate labor laws, tax obligations, and benefits requirements.
- The right EOR provider handles compliance while you focus on building your team.
Companies looking to hire employees in South Africa face a maze of regulations. For example, employers must comply with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Labour Relations Act, and Employment Equity Act.
The cost of getting employment law wrong can be substantial, ranging from hefty fines to lengthy legal disputes. Add in complex tax withholding requirements, mandatory benefits, and strict termination procedures, and it becomes clear why most businesses turn to professional EOR services.
That’s why selecting the right Employer of Record matters so much when hiring in South Africa.
From Cape Town to Johannesburg: South Africa Is a Top Choice for Remote Hiring
South Africa has become a go-to destination for companies looking to build and scale global teams. With a highly skilled, English-speaking workforce and a strong talent base across engineering, customer support, finance, and operations, many international companies rely on South Africa to support long-term growth.
Considering hiring in South Africa, but not sure where to start? Here are some of the top EORs that can help.
1. RemoFirst
If you want to hire talent in South Africa without overpaying for an EOR, you’ll definitely want to take a look at RemoFirst. They take care of everything you’d need and expect — locally compliant contracts, payroll, benefits, etc. — but without the inflated pricing you see from some of the bigger players. The pricing is straightforward, and you actually get support from people who know the local market.
The biggest win for RemoFirst customers is flat-rate pricing: no sneaky add-ons, no surprise invoices for compliance updates, benefits admin, or equipment. A lot of providers nickel-and-dime you once you’re up and running, but RemoFirst keeps it simple, which makes budgeting way less stressful.
RemoFirst takes care of all those pesky payroll details — PAYE, tax certificates, all of it. They’ll even help with shipping equipment. It’s also fast and easy to get started — most employees can be onboarded in a matter of days,
Pricing starts at $199 per employee, per month — with no setup fees or hidden charges. In addition, support is available 24/5, and every client is assigned a dedicated account manager.
Employers can also provide their employees with private health insurance options through RemoHealth and RemoHealth Local.
RemoFirst doesn’t have as many HRIS platform integrations as its competitors, so companies that prioritize that feature might look to some of their larger (and pricier) competitors. However, for many companies, the budget-friendly pricing matters more than software integrations.
Want to see how easy it is to manage a global team with RemoFirst? Book a demo.
2. Workforce Africa
Workforce Africa stands out in the South Africa EOR space because it’s built specifically for Africa. That regional focus shows up in their deep understanding of South African labor laws, employment equity rules, and local business norms — things global providers don’t always get right.
The company leans heavily into personalized support. Each customer is assigned a dedicated account manager who helps guide them through more complex situations, such as visas, relocations, and the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements.
They’re also strong in benefits administration, handling everything from medical aid to provident funds in line with local expectations.
The platform’s reporting capabilities are particularly strong, providing detailed insights into employment costs, compliance status, and local market benchmarks. This data proves invaluable for companies planning long-term expansion or budget forecasting for their South African operations.
That said, pricing isn’t publicly listed and is customized based on headcount and services, and their coverage is limited to nations in Africa. If you’re planning broader global expansion or want instant price transparency, that’s something to factor in.
3. Oyster
Oyster is a solid choice for companies hiring in South Africa as part of a larger global expansion that wants everything centralized. It’s designed to manage multi-country teams from a single dashboard, which is helpful if you’re scaling across multiple markets at once.
The platform really shines in its technology. Oyster automates South African tax calculations, generates locally compliant employment contracts, and gives you real-time visibility into employment costs. Both employers and employees have access to self-service tools, including payslips, tax certificates, and onboarding documents, which reduces admin and keeps things moving smoothly.
Compliance is another key strength for Oyster, which works closely with local legal partners, stays on top of regulatory changes, and flags updates proactively when employment laws shift. They also build approval workflows into the platform for tasks such as salary changes, promotions, and terminations, helping ensure everything is documented correctly and in compliance.
The main trade-off is complexity and cost. For smaller teams with straightforward hiring needs, Oyster can feel a bit over-engineered, and the starting price of $699 per employee per month may be a stretch compared to more budget-friendly options.
4. Deel
Deel’s South Africa EOR services are built around speed, compliance, and broad global coverage. The company has deep experience handling complex compensation structures, equity grants, and performance-based bonuses.
The platform automatically manages tax calculations, including fringe benefits tax and the annual tax reconciliation process, which helps reduce ongoing payroll admin. Deel’s contract management system generates employment agreements that align with local labor laws while still allowing room for customization based on company policies.
Deel also does a good job with employee lifecycle management, covering everything from onboarding to termination. Built-in workflows help ensure compliance with local notice periods and severance requirements, so nothing gets missed.
For companies with distributed teams, Deel’s global reach is an advantage, providing a consistent experience across countries while handling local compliance requirements. South African employees get access to competitive benefits, local payroll, and support in both English and Afrikaans.
Pricing starts at $599 per employee per month for EOR services, with additional fees for premium features like equity management and advanced reporting.
While Deel offers a very comprehensive, feature-rich platform with strong integrations, the complexity and higher price point may not make sense for smaller teams that only need to hire a few employees.
5. Remote
Remote has positioned itself as the enterprise solution for global employment, with services tailored to focus on large-scale, complex hiring needs. The platform is built to handle the compliance requirements of multinational corporations while providing the flexibility needed for diverse employment scenarios.
Remote maintains in-house legal teams that specialize in local regulations, provide regular compliance updates, and offer consultation on complex employment situations. Their platform includes advanced features like automated compliance monitoring, risk assessment tools, and detailed audit trails that enterprise clients require.
Large clients receive dedicated customer success managers, priority support, and access to legal consultation services. They also provide comprehensive onboarding programs that help enterprise HR teams understand South African employment requirements and best practices.
In a nutshell, Remote is designed for large corporations with deep pockets, robust hiring needs, and a desire for strong integration capabilities.
However, with pricing starting at $699 per employee per month, it might give smaller companies with more modest hiring needs sticker shock. Combined with a complex platform that requires training and longer implementation timelines, Remote might be overkill for many smaller businesses.
Compliant and Cost-Effective Hiring in South Africa
Whether you’re hiring your first South African employee or scaling an existing team, the right partner makes all the difference in building a compliant, successful operation.
- Businesses that prefer an EOR focused solely on the African continent will likely benefit from Workforce Africa's deep local knowledge.
- Organizations requiring sophisticated technology platforms might prefer Oyster or Deel.
- Enterprise clients with complex compliance needs will find Remote’s comprehensive approach valuable.
- Companies seeking cost-effective solutions with transparent pricing should consider RemoFirst.
RemoFirst makes it easy and cost-effective to build compliant remote teams. We handle everything — from onboarding and employment contracts to global payroll, taxes, and benefits — so you can focus on growing your business.
And we don’t only support hiring in South Africa. With coverage in 185+ countries, RemoFirst can help wherever your next hire takes you.
Schedule a demo to learn more.
