HR & Hiring
Editor-verified HR SaaS for small Japanese teams handling My Number, year-end tax adjustment, and social insurance.
Editor-curated HR SaaS for small Korean teams: 4대보험, 연말정산, 주민번호 encryption, and local payroll.
What solo founders in Korea actually use — SaaS, automation, accounting, support — sorted by category.
Practical stack for Japanese solo operators built on freee, Sansan, LINE, and Yoom.
How small teams running in both Korea and Japan actually blend global and local tools — practical combinations.
Curated free-tier B2B tools for Korean solo founders and small teams starting from KRW 0.
Why do Japanese companies need local HR tools?
マイナンバー collection/storage, 年末調整 (year-end tax adjustment), 労務保険, and 給与明細 — all Japan-specific. Global HR tools don't handle these, so local SaaS (SmartHR, freee HR) dominate.
What's the Korean equivalent of マイナンバー handling?
Korean HR tools handle 주민등록번호 encryption, 4대보험 (4 insurances), 연말정산 (year-end), and 급여명세서 generation. Global HR tools miss these.
Can I use BambooHR or Gusto in Korea/Japan?
For remote-first international teams yes, but they won't handle local payroll, tax, or insurance filings. You'll need a local payroll tool in parallel.
How do hiring tools differ?
Korean recruiting is dominated by JobKorea, Saramin, and Wanted; Japanese by Wantedly, BizReach, dōda. Global ATS like Greenhouse works but often needs manual integration with local boards.
What's the pricing expectation for HR SaaS?
Per-employee/month is the standard. Korean tools often start cheaper (from KRW 5,000/employee); Japanese tools tend to charge slightly more but include tax filing.
Do small teams (1-10 people) need HR software at all?
Once you hire your first employee (not contractor), yes — for payroll, tax, and insurance compliance. Solo founders usually don't need HR software until hire #1.
SmartHR vs freee HR — which should I start with?
Already on freee accounting → freee HR integrates naturally. Otherwise SmartHR leads on social insurance e-filing depth and scales to 500 people comfortably.
Can a single HR SaaS handle both Korean and Japanese entities?
No. Korean 4대보험+연말정산 and Japanese 社会保険+年末調整 require country-specific systems. Run one local tool per entity; global dashboards on top if needed.
What's required for Korean startups to process their first payroll?
Sign up with 4대보험 EDI, file 주민등록번호 for each employee encrypted, set up 원천징수 calc, and issue 근로계약서. A tool like Flex automates all four.
What about talent management beyond payroll?
Japanese mid-market layers Kaonavi/HRBrain/HRMOS on top of SmartHR for performance, 1:1s, and engagement. Korean teams often use HR SaaS + Google Forms or Notion for lightweight talent management.