Employment in Ivory Coast

Formal employment is legally established in Ivory Coast, while private, formal, and informal wage work are organized differently in practice. Preliminary ENEM data indicate an informal employment share of 82.3 percent in 2024; data validation has not yet been completed. Informal work therefore has major practical importance, but it often provides weaker access to registration, proof, and social benefits. For the search for dependent employment, the Public Service (Service Public) provides information on job offers, vacancies, and certificates relating to work and attendance. The Youth Employment Agency (Agence Emploi Jeunes, AEJ) offers job placement, personal counselling, skills profiles, and qualifying employment programmes (Une formation pour l’emploi); regional AEJ offices supplement access. ONEF and SIMT provide labour-market information and statistics, but they are not primary placement services. Private platforms may also be used, but their current availability should be checked in each case. Access to the civil service (Fonction publique) is mainly through administrative competitive examinations (concours administratifs) conducted online. These include direct competitive examinations for entry and professional competitive examinations for already employed civil servants. More than 400 selection procedures were documented for the 2026 session. Participation conditions and any required nationality are stated in the current notice; many entry routes are intended for Ivorian nationals. The employment relationship is governed nationally by Law 2015-532 (Loi 2015-532), as amended by Ordinance 2021-902 (Ordonnance 2021-902). It arises from work performed under direction or instruction in return for remuneration. A fixed-term employment contract (CDD) must be concluded in writing. The contract should state the date and place, the parties, nationality, type and duration, classification, salary and benefits, duties, and applicable statutory or collective-bargaining texts. Legally recognized special forms include school placements, qualifying or experience-based internships, apprenticeship, and remote work; each is governed by specific texts. Implementing decrees updated in 2026 include rules on contracts, notice periods, part-time work, collective agreements, and health and safety. The current version of the Official Gazette (Journal Officiel) should therefore be checked before making a binding decision. The minimum interprofessional guaranteed wage (SMIG) is the statutory minimum wage and has been 75,000 FCFA since 1 January 2023. A higher minimum may apply to certain categories or under an applicable collective agreement. Salary, benefits, and classification belong in the contract and should be compared with the work actually performed. The employer must register the employee with the CNPS, the state social-security system, on the first working day. After the first hiring, the employer must submit the application for CNAM registration no later than eight weeks later; CNAM is the state health-insurance system, the Universal Health Coverage (Couverture Maladie Universelle). The CNPS number remains the same and permanently valid when changing employers. Registration, contribution history, and entitlements can be viewed through e-CNPS. The employer is responsible for the full payment to CNPS and withholds the employee share of 6.3 percent from wages. For at least 20 employees, payment is made monthly; for fewer than 20 employees, quarterly. Occasional workers, day workers, and fixed-term workers must also be declared according to the same principle; the practical procedure should be clarified with CNPS. For non-agricultural work, the weekly maximum is 40 hours; for agricultural work, it is 48 hours. Paid leave accrues after twelve months of actual work. Other areas of protection include occupational safety and health, workplace accidents and occupational diseases, maternity, family benefits, and old-age provision. Depending on the workplace, employees may use trade unions, staff representatives (délégués du personnel), and applicable collective agreements. Forced labour is prohibited, and employment decisions may not be based on legally protected grounds of discrimination. During a probationary period, the employment relationship may be terminated under the statutory rule without notice or compensation. A CDD ends according to the rules for fixed-term contracts. Under an indefinite-term contract, the employee may resign; termination by the employer requires a legitimate reason. Termination must be communicated in writing, and the employer’s decision must state its reasons. Notice periods were newly regulated by decrees of 15 April 2026; the current version in the Official Gazette is authoritative because older periods must not be adopted without verification. Under the statutory basic rule, two paid days per week are available during the notice period to look for a new job, subject to checking the current text. At the end of the employment relationship, employees should secure the work certificate (certificat de travail), the final settlement, and evidence of outstanding benefits. They should also check that the CNPS notification of termination has been completed. If CNPS registration is missing, a certificate or correction can first be requested through CNPS or e-CNPS. If the problem persists, the prescribed escalation routes lead through staff representatives and the Labour Inspectorate (Inspection du travail) to the competent court. For foreign employees, access and documentation depend on nationality and activity. For the CNPS file, Ivorian nationals use, among other documents, the CNI or a birth extract. ECOWAS (CEDEAO) nationals need a Resident Card (Carte de Résident); other foreign employees need a Residence Card (Carte de Séjour). The exact requirements for work permits and regulated professions have not been conclusively established for this overview and must be checked with the competent immigration or professional authority. In the event of permanent departure, a foreign employee may recover their own CNPS contributions if they have fewer than two years of contribution-based employment and no coordination agreement applies; the employer’s share is not refunded.