In Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, a new hire's start date is set by the notice period in their current employment contract, not by your offer letter. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) applies default notice by length of service only when the contract is silent, from 1 day to 4 weeks. Indonesia's PP 35/2021 requires a resigning employee to give written notice at least 30 days before the resignation date. Australia's National Employment Standards set minimum notice only for employers ending employment, so a resigning employee's notice comes from their award, enterprise agreement or contract. New Zealand sets no statutory number, so it comes from the employment agreement, or "reasonable notice" if the agreement is silent. Plan backwards from your target start date, and ask for the notice clause before you make the offer.
The notice period is the one stage of hiring that no tool can shorten, HyreTech included. It decides when the person you chose actually starts, and it varies more across these four markets than most hiring plans allow for.
This guide shows where the number comes from in each market, how Singapore counts the days, and how to plan a start date around it. We checked every rule below against its government source in October 2026.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Have counsel review any contract wording.
Where The Notice Period Comes From in Each Market
| Market | Where the number comes from | If the contract is silent | Ways to finish earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | The employment contract, with the same period for employer and employee | MOM defaults: 1 day (under 26 weeks of service), 1 week (26 weeks to under 2 years), 2 weeks (2 to under 5 years), 4 weeks (5 years or more) | Waiver by mutual consent in writing, salary in lieu of notice, or offsetting notice with annual leave |
| Indonesia | PP 35/2021 Article 36: a written resignation request at least 30 days before the resignation date | The 30-day minimum applies | None set out in PP 35/2021, which requires the employee to keep working until the resignation date |
| Australia | The award, enterprise agreement or contract. The Professional Employees Award, which covers professional staff of IT-industry employers, sets one month | The National Employment Standards set minimums for employers only, so check the award, agreement and contract | Agree an earlier finish with the current employer, which still pays at least the minimum notice |
| New Zealand | The employment agreement, often 4 weeks | "Reasonable notice", generally 2 to 4 weeks | Agree a shorter period, recorded in writing, or garden leave or payment in lieu by agreement |
Three of the four markets follow the same pattern. The contract comes first, and the law steps in only where the contract is silent (Singapore and New Zealand) or through an award (Australia). Indonesia is the exception: the 30 days come from the regulation itself.
Singapore: How MOM Counts The Days
MOM's guidance on termination with notice says notice should be given in writing, and the notice period must be the same for the employer and the employee, as agreed in the contract.
If the contract names no period, the default table above applies. These rules come from the Employment Act, which covers every employee on a contract of service, including professionals, managers and executives. Seafarers, domestic workers and civil servants are the exceptions.
The counting rule matters for planning. The notice period includes the day notice is given, as well as rest days, non-working days and public holidays. MOM's own example: an employee who gives one month's notice on 15 July 2025 has a last day of 14 August 2025.
Five details change the date:
- Waiver. Both parties can waive the notice period by mutual consent, preferably in writing. Because it takes both sides, a candidate cannot waive it alone.
- Salary in lieu. The employee can pay salary in lieu instead of serving notice, which brings the last day forward. CPF contributions are not payable on salary in lieu of notice, though they are still due on wages up to the last day.
- Early release by the employer. If the current employer asks the employee to leave before the notice ends, MOM says the employer should pay salary in lieu for the rest of the notice period.
- Annual leave offset. With the employer's agreement, leave can offset the remaining notice and bring the last day forward. The employee is paid only up to the last day, and the offset leave is not paid out. Approved annual leave taken during notice is different: the employee is paid for the full period and the last day does not move.
- Sick leave and reservist duty. Paid or unpaid sick leave counts as part of the notice for employees covered by the Employment Act. National Service reservist duty does not, and extends the notice by the same length.
A candidate serving notice is still an employee of the current employer. MOM advises checking with that employer before starting work with a new one, so never assume an early start.
Indonesia: 30 Days, in Writing
Under Article 36 of PP 35/2021 (PDF from Kemnaker), an employee who resigns must submit a written resignation request no later than 30 days before the resignation date. They must keep working until that date, and they must not be bound by a service bond (ikatan dinas).
Two consequences for a hiring plan:
- A month is the floor. The candidate you make an offer to today usually starts a month later at the earliest. Ask whether their contract or the company regulations (peraturan perusahaan) set a longer period.
- No early-release route in the regulation. PP 35/2021 sets out no way to leave before the resignation date, so treat an earlier start as something only the current employer can agree to.
The rule may change. On 6 October 2026 the House of Representatives (DPR) passed the Manpower Protection Law (UU Pelindungan Ketenagakerjaan). Its number and final text had not been published when we checked on 8 October 2026, so confirm the current rule before you quote it in an offer letter.
For where to find engineers in the first place, see our guide to sourcing tech talent in Indonesia.
Australia: Two Notice Periods People Confuse
The Fair Work Ombudsman's notice of termination fact sheet sets the National Employment Standards (NES) minimum that an employer must give when ending employment:
| Continuous service | Minimum notice |
|---|---|
| 1 year or less | 1 week |
| More than 1 year to 3 years | 2 weeks |
| More than 3 years to 5 years | 3 weeks |
| More than 5 years | 4 weeks |
Employees over 45 with at least 2 years of service get one additional week. The NES notice does not apply to casual employees, employees engaged for a set period or season, or employees dismissed for serious misconduct, and some trainees and daily or weekly hire employees in particular industries are also excluded.
That table does not tell you when a resigning candidate can leave. Fair Work's guidance on resignation notice says an employee's minimum notice comes from their employment contract or their award, enterprise agreement or other registered agreement. Employment continues unchanged during the notice, and the last day is the last day of the notice period.
For tech hires, check the Professional Employees Award 2020. It covers employers principally engaged in the information technology, telecommunications services or quality auditing industries, for staff in its professional classifications. Under clause 28.2, an employee must give at least one month's notice. If an employee aged 18 or over gives less, the employer may deduct up to one week's wages, unless it agreed to the shorter period.
The award stops applying only to a high income employee: someone guaranteed earnings above the high income threshold, $190,100 from 1 July 2026, who has accepted a written guarantee of annual earnings. Earning above the threshold without a guarantee is not enough. For high income employees and award-free staff, the employee's notice is whatever the contract says.
If the current employer doesn't need the candidate to work out their notice, the two can agree an earlier finish. Fair Work says the employee is still entitled to at least their minimum notice period, which the employer can pay out. The NES table also matters for your own side: it is the floor for the notice you must give if you ever end a hire's employment. Under the Professional Employees Award that floor rises to one month.
New Zealand: No Fixed Number
Employment New Zealand's resignation guidance says most employment agreements state the notice period, for example 4 weeks. If the agreement does not, the employee must give "reasonable notice", which its page on giving notice puts at generally 2 to 4 weeks. The employer and employee can agree a shorter or longer period, and the change should be recorded in writing. Garden leave and payment in lieu of notice are other options, by agreement.
Three points matter for a hiring plan:
- Employers must accept resignations. A candidate's current employer cannot refuse to let them go.
- Starting early needs agreement. If the agreement has a secondary employment clause, the employee cannot start a new job during notice unless the employer agrees. Where there is no such clause, both sides are expected to talk and act in good faith.
- Restraint of trade. The agreement may stop the employee working for a similar employer for a set period after employment ends. Tech hires moving between competitors should check this clause before the offer, not after.
Plan Backwards From The Start Date
Work from the date you need the hire, not the date you make the offer.
- Set the target start date.
- Subtract the notice. That gives the latest date the candidate can resign.
- Subtract the time to sign. The candidate usually resigns after accepting your offer, so the offer date comes earlier still.
- Subtract interviews and screening. Those are the only stages you control.
A worked example under MOM's counting method: a Singapore candidate resigns on Thursday 3 December 2026 with one month's notice. Because the notice includes the day it is given, the last day is Saturday 2 January 2027, and the earliest practical start is Monday 4 January 2027. This is our application of MOM's counting rule to a new date, so confirm the exact last day with the candidate's contract.
Ask three questions before the offer, not after:
- What does your contract say about notice, in weeks or months?
- Is an early release realistic, and has your employer agreed to one before?
- Does your contract have a secondary employment or restraint of trade clause?
If your search involves a Singapore work pass, the job-advertising window and the salary floor affect the timeline too. Both are covered in our guide to hiring first engineers in Singapore or Indonesia.
What Software Can and Cannot Shorten
A notice period is a contract term between the candidate and their current employer. HyreTech cannot shorten it, and no tool can. What you can shorten is the time before the candidate resigns.
In HyreTech, every application that includes a CV, whether it arrives through your job page or a CSV import, is scored against the role's rubric automatically, as described in how the match score is actually built.
Each score uses one AI credit, so the first read does not wait for someone to find a free hour. Interview scheduling works on every plan, and from the Starter plan, connecting Google Calendar adds the event and a Meet link automatically. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.
Treat that as saving days in the stages you control, not as a promise on the start date. A candidate with a three-month notice period will still take three months. If you screen with AI in Singapore, Australia or New Zealand, the disclosure rules are in AI hiring compliance in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Plan Your Next Hire Around The Real Start Date
To see how the stages before the offer run in practice, Start free, publish one role and read the ranked applicants.
If you are hiring across Singapore, Indonesia, Australia or New Zealand and want help planning the pipeline, Book a demo and we will walk through it with you.
FAQ
How do I plan the start date for a candidate with a three-month notice period?
Work backwards from your target start date. Subtract the three months to find the latest date the candidate can resign, then subtract the time they need to accept your offer and the interview stages before it. The notice in the candidate's contract governs, and only their current employer can agree to shorten it. HyreTech cannot shorten the notice, but it shortens the stages before the offer by scoring every application against your rubric as it arrives.
What is the notice period in Singapore if the contract is silent?
MOM's defaults depend on length of service: 1 day for under 26 weeks, 1 week for 26 weeks to under 2 years, 2 weeks for 2 to under 5 years, and 4 weeks for 5 years or more. The period includes the day notice is given, rest days and public holidays.
What is the resignation notice period in Indonesia?
At least 30 days. Under PP 35/2021 Article 36, a resigning employee must submit a written request no later than 30 days before the resignation date and keep working until that date. The DPR passed a new Manpower Protection Law on 6 October 2026, so check its final text before you rely on this.
Is there a minimum notice period for resignation in Australia?
Not in the National Employment Standards, which set minimum notice only for employers ending employment: 1 to 4 weeks, plus one week for employees over 45 with at least 2 years of service. An employee's notice comes from their contract, award or enterprise agreement. The Professional Employees Award, which covers professional staff of IT-industry employers, requires one month.
How long is the notice period in New Zealand?
There is no statutory number. The employment agreement usually states it, for example 4 weeks. If it does not, the employee must give reasonable notice, which Employment New Zealand says is generally 2 to 4 weeks.
Can a candidate start a new job while serving notice?
Not automatically, in any of the four markets. In Singapore the candidate is still an employee until the last day, and MOM advises checking with the current employer. In Indonesia, PP 35/2021 requires the employee to keep working until the resignation date. In Australia employment continues unchanged during the notice unless the employer and employee agree an earlier finish. In New Zealand the employee should check the agreement, including any secondary employment clause, and talk to the current employer early.
Can a new employer shorten a candidate's notice period?
No. Only the candidate and their current employer can. In Singapore they can waive the notice by mutual consent, or the candidate can pay salary in lieu. In Australia they can agree an earlier finish, and the employee still gets at least the minimum notice, which the employer can pay out. In New Zealand they can agree a shorter period in writing, or garden leave or payment in lieu. In Indonesia, PP 35/2021 sets out no early-release route. Your offer can allow for an early start, but the current employer's agreement decides it.