evidence: The cost of hiring an employee in India is, at a minimum, 16.75% of the employee’s base salary. This is because the employer must contribute 12% of their employee’s base salary to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and 4.75% to the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI). [...] - Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF): For companies that employ at least 20 workers, employers contribute 12% to the EPF. - Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS): The EPS is part of the EPF; when employers contribute 12% to the EPF, 8.33% goes to the EPS.