Employment in Equatorial Guinea

The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, through the Dirección General de Trabajo, supervises employment administration. The Oficina Central del Servicio Nacional de Empleo y Migraciones (OCSNEM) coordinates job offers and job seekers, occupational guidance, labour planning, occupational classifications, migration procedures and work permits. Local Oficinas de Empleo and Provincial Delegations of Labour handle registration and administration in their areas. A job seeker can register with the competent Oficina de Empleo without a registration fee. An employer normally submits the vacancy with the required qualifications, contract type, place and working time. If the office does not arrange the placement, the employment contract should be reported and registered within seven days. A first job may require a Certificado de Buena Conducta from the Consejo de Poblado or Comunidad de Vecinos. A person with previous employment may also need a Certificado de Trabajo. Employment contracts should be written, describe the function or duties and be registered with the Ministry of Labour. The actual work performed also matters when the relationship is assessed, and unclear terms are generally interpreted in the worker's favour. The employer must affiliate every dependent worker with INSESO, including a worker engaged under an oral contract. Access to social-security benefits depends on actual registration and contributions. INSESO administers coverage connected with work accidents and occupational diseases, including treatment, medicines, hospital care, transport and disability or death benefits. An indefinite contract is the normal form. Fixed-term contracts generally last three months and can be extended up to one year. Replacement contracts cover an absent worker. A new or restructured activity can use a one-year term, renewable for one further year with Ministry approval. A contract for a specific work or service is temporary and can last up to two years. Continuing the work after the lawful end of a temporary contract generally leads to an indefinite relationship. Part-time work requires written details of hours and their distribution. Other arrangements include internships of up to six months, apprenticeship or training, seasonal work of up to six months, daily work, commission and piecework. Domestic work follows a special regime. Probation depends on the job qualification: one month for an unqualified worker, up to three months for a medium-level technician and up to six months for a higher-level or highly qualified job or work that is difficult to assess. During a lawful probation period, either side can generally end the relationship without compensation, but the worker receives the basic wage for the category. If probation continues beyond the permitted period, INSESO coverage and proportional wage, leave and seniority rights apply from the first day. Normal working time is eight hours per day and 48 hours per week. Night work is limited to six hours per day and 36 hours per week; mixed work to seven hours per day and 42 hours per week. Offshore work may reach 12 hours per day, including eight regular hours and four overtime hours. Overtime is generally not compulsory and is paid with a 25% daytime supplement or a 50% night or mixed-work supplement. Workers receive a one-hour break, at least 12 hours between working days and one weekly rest day after six days. Annual leave is 30 paid days and may be divided into no more than two periods, with accumulation for up to two years. Public holidays and certified sickness are not deducted from annual leave. The statutory minimum wage, known as the SMI, is set by government decree after consultation with employer and worker representatives. The directly verified reference amount is 117,304 CFA francs per month under Decreto 30/2016 for 2014–2016; a current 2026 SMI amount has not been verified in an accessible primary source. Wage conditions should be explained before work begins and paid in the legal currency. Annual bonuses consist of 15 days of pay at the end of each year and 15 days at the beginning of the following year, with the latter paid by 20 December. Seasonal workers employed for up to six months receive at least the legal minimum plus a 25% bonus. Domestic workers must receive at least 80% of the SMI as cash wages. An employer must pay the return journey and add 25% of basic pay when transferring a worker outside the worker's place of residence. The employer also pays an installation allowance of at least one month's wage. From the third month, first-degree family members may travel at the worker's request. Long-distance commuting or work at another location can trigger employer-provided transport. A permanent foreign assignment or an assignment lasting at least one year includes travel, installation and a living allowance of at least 50% of basic pay, except where the assignment is for training. Since 2026, telework is regulated as voluntary and reversible, with equal treatment, data protection, occupational safety, working-time, disconnection and collective-rights provisions. Workers have freedom to choose an occupation, protection against forced labour and protection against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, sex, religion, political opinion, social origin or union affiliation. Trade-union freedom and collective bargaining are legally recognized. Workers must follow lawful instructions and workplace rules and perform the agreed work. The Inspección General de Trabajo oversees occupational safety and health. Platform work has no specific regulation identified in the available research. A dismissal should be written and state a lawful reason. A dismissal without the required written form or reason, as well as dismissal in retaliation for seeking help from an authority or for a procedural violation, can be invalid and lead to reinstatement with back pay. Notice is one week after one month of employment and 20 days after at least six months; an employer may waive notice by paying the corresponding amount. The employer must issue a work certificate stating the start date, end date and job category. The 2026 amendment in Ley 6/2026 changes the seniority compensation from 45 to 30 days of wages per year of service; the applicable transition details should be checked against the relevant BOE text. A reinstatement claim must generally be filed within 90 days of the dismissal notice. An individual dispute normally begins before the Provincial Delegation of Labour, and dismissal cases include conciliation. A settlement reached through conciliation is binding. The Magistratura de Trabajo decides and enforces disputes. Workers should keep their contract, wage records, INSESO proof, dismissal notice and work certificate. Foreign workers need the work authorization handled through OCSNEM and a separate residence permit. Local-content or hydrocarbons-sector rules and proof of a 30-day local search may apply in particular cases, so work should not begin before the required authorizations are available. Formal jobs account for less than 20% of all jobs in the available World Bank evidence, using INSESO contributions as the formal-employment measure. The share is about 26% in Malabo, 20% in other cities and 8% in rural areas. Public employment accounts for about 13.3% of all jobs and roughly three quarters of formal jobs, with a reported wage advantage of 20–30%; around 73% of workers there have post-secondary education. Informal work, limited private-sector quality jobs, youth and women's access, and regional differences strongly affect employment choices. There is no evidenced nationwide unemployment-insurance system or state income replacement after dismissal.