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Offshore Hiring Laws
VOL. I · MMXXVI · EDITED BY JOEL DEUTSCH

Methodology.

Scope and jurisdictions covered

Offshore Hiring Laws covers the statutory and regulatory framework governing employment relationships in India and the Philippines as applicable to foreign employers engaging remote workers domiciled in those jurisdictions. Version 1 (May 2026) covers:

  • India — Central government legislation applicable across India, with select state-level references (principally Karnataka and Maharashtra) where state law materially affects the obligations of employers in major technology and professional-services hubs. State-level obligations such as Shops and Establishments Acts and Professional Tax are noted where directly relevant but are not exhaustively catalogued for all 28 states and 8 Union Territories.
  • Philippines — National legislation including the Labor Code (Presidential Decree No. 442), statutory benefit laws (RA 11199, RA 11223, RA 9679), and implementing rules issued by DOLE. Regional wage orders are noted but not catalogued by region.

Future expansion to additional jurisdictions — Mexico, Colombia, Vietnam, Poland — is planned for Q3–Q4 2026.

Sources

Primary sources

Every statutory or regulatory claim on this site cites a primary source — a government gazette, ministry portal, or official statutory database. Primary sources used include:

Secondary sources

Secondary sources are used for contextual explanation and as cross-references, but never in substitution for a primary statutory citation. Secondary sources used include Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII), Justia statutes, Bar Council of India publications, Big Four legal alerts (KPMG, PwC, Deloitte, EY), and peer-reviewed law review articles where available. Where a secondary source conflicts with a primary source, the primary source governs.

Citation policy

Every statutory or regulatory claim on this site cites the underlying instrument. A complete citation includes: the full name of the statute or regulation on first reference; the section or article number; the year of enactment or most recent amendment; the jurisdiction; a link to the official source where publicly available; and the month and year of access.

Example citation format:

Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, § 6 (India). Codified at IndiaCode. https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/2152. Accessed May 2026.Standard citation format used throughout this publication.

Where a statutory claim cannot be verified against a primary source, the claim is omitted from the published page and flagged in the internal build record. No section number is invented or approximated.

Verification cadence

Cornerstone pages — those covering statutory employer obligations — are re-verified against primary sources at least every six months and immediately when a material amendment to the relevant statute takes effect. Each cornerstone page carries both a "Last updated" stamp and a "Verified against [statute] as of [Month YYYY]" stamp reflecting the most recent verification date.

The date appearing on the stamp reflects the date on which the editor verified the page content against the primary statutory sources listed in that page's footnotes. Readers should not rely on this publication as a substitute for verification against current law.

Treatment of state-level and subordinate legislation

India's state-level Shops and Establishments Acts and professional tax legislation are state-specific and vary significantly across states. DOLE department orders and regional wage orders in the Philippines are similarly numerous. This publication notes state-level and subordinate instruments where they directly bear on the obligations of employers of remote workers, but does not exhaustively catalogue all state schedules, rates, or forms. Readers should verify state-specific obligations directly with the relevant state authority or through qualified local counsel.

Legal disclaimer

Offshore Hiring Laws aggregates and explains statutory, regulatory, and case-law materials governing cross-border employment. The editor is not licensed to practice law in any jurisdiction. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice, creates an attorney-client relationship, or substitutes for consultation with a qualified attorney or other professional. Statutes and regulations change; readers should verify current law before relying on any information published here.

Editorial independence

Offshore Hiring Laws is edited by Joel Deutsch, founder of F5 Hiring Solutions, a managed-workforce provider placing remote professionals from India and the Philippines into US-based companies. This relationship is disclosed because it represents a potential conflict of interest: the company operates in the same regulatory environment described by this publication.

The publication is operated independently. Statutory rates and rules are reported as they appear in the primary sources; no rate is inflated, minimized, or omitted to favor any commercial outcome. The citation policy — cite primary sources, omit rather than fabricate — is applied uniformly regardless of how the content might affect any commercial interest. Joel Deutsch is not licensed to practice law.

Future updates

  • Q2 2026: Contractor vs. employee classification deep-dive — India and Philippines.
  • Q2 2026: Permanent establishment risk for foreign employers with India and Philippines remote staff.
  • Q3 2026: Data privacy obligations — India DPDP Act, 2023; Data Privacy Act of 2012 (Philippines RA 10173).
  • Q3–Q4 2026: Additional jurisdictions: Mexico, Colombia, Vietnam, Poland.
  • Q3 2026: Multi-byline contributors — qualified counsel in-jurisdiction.

Change log

  • 2026-05-17 — v1 launch. Six cornerstone pages published: India employment law overview; India statutory employer obligations; Philippines employment law overview; Philippines statutory employer obligations; Methodology; About. Citations verified against primary sources as of May 2026.