Employment in Lesotho

Lesotho's 2024 Labour Force Survey recorded 549,722 employed people aged 15 and over out of a working-age population of 1,510,701. The labour-force participation rate was 52.0%, and the employment-to-population ratio was 36.4%. About 461,873 employed people, or 84.0%, worked informally, while 87,849 held formal employment. This difference affects the practical ability to prove pay, working time, leave, dismissal and other employment rights. A written contract, wage records, payslips, identity documents and leave or termination records provide stronger evidence than an arrangement based only on oral promises. The formal vacancy market is competitive, while informal work remains widespread. Trade-union density was 9.6%, and 204,747 people aged 15 to 24 were not in employment, education or training. A job seeker can apply directly to a company, register with the National Employment Services (NES), use a licensed private employment agency or apply for a public-service vacancy. NES promotes recruitment and placement, registers job seekers and skills, records National Skills Training Centre registration, provides vacancy and labour-market information, supports graduate-apprenticeship registration, assists with some self-employment group formation and processes work-permit applications. A job seeker should provide truthful identity, qualification and work-history information and keep copies of applications and vacancy details. The current fee and processing time for ordinary job-seeker registration were not confirmed in the available service information. Employers provide an establishment profile and declare vacancies to the Director of Labour Market Information. A private employment agency must hold a licence, normally for no more than 12 months, and keep records of identity, recruitment and placement. A recruited worker may receive written information identifying the agency and stating the prospective employment conditions. An agency or other recruiter may not extract recruitment fees from wages. A person who wishes to challenge an agency-licence decision may appeal to the Labour Court within 30 days. A vacancy advertised through an agency should be checked against the actual company, job location, pay basis, working time and proposed contract. Public-service employment follows the constitutional mandate of the Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC handles selection, appointment, confirmation and separation, while the Ministry of Public Service handles human-resources administration, training, benefits and employment records. Official vacancy channels include PSC.gov.ls and gov.ls/jobs. Public-service appointments follow the qualification and merit requirements stated in the vacancy notice. An applicant should compare the published requirements with their certificates and work history and keep the submitted application and any communication about the selection process. The Graduate Apprenticeship Program provides a further entry path into employment. An applicant generally submits a CV, certificates, especially construction-related certificates where relevant, and a national identity document. The listed processing time for the applicant service is one day, and the official service cost is listed as not applicable. A company registering for the programme provides its company name, a valid trader licence and a tax-clearance certificate. The listed company-registration processing time is one day, and the official cost is listed as not applicable. The availability of a particular intake and the participating companies must be checked separately because the service description does not establish a permanent intake. Lesotho recognizes oral and written employment contracts. The relationship may be indefinite, fixed-duration, for specific work or a journey, or part-time. A fixed-duration contract normally states its end date. A specific-work or journey contract ends when the defined work is completed. A part-time contract has a minimum of five hours per day, 40 hours per week and 160 hours per month under the stated employment rules. The contract or employment arrangement should identify the work, pay basis, start date, working time, workplace, leave arrangements and ending terms. If an employer changes the duties, place, hours or pay basis, keep the written communication because it may affect the assessment of the employment relationship. Several practical indicators can show that dependent employment exists even where no written contract was signed. These include the employer's control and instructions, integration into the business, personal performance, a specified time and place, continuing availability, employer-provided tools, remuneration, regular rest and holiday arrangements, and the fact that the worker does not carry the employer's financial risk. Calling an arrangement a casual service or independent activity does not by itself settle the question. The actual way the work operates matters. A worker should record who gives instructions, when and where the work is performed, how payment is calculated and who supplies equipment. Probation may last up to four months. Notice during or at the end of probation is one week. An extension beyond four months requires written approval from the Labour Commissioner. Management and professional positions may have probation of up to one year. The contract should state the probation period and any assessment conditions. A worker should request written confirmation of the outcome where the employer continues the employment, ends it or proposes an extension. A non-citizen must obtain a valid work permit before starting employment in Lesotho. The worker and prospective employer apply to the Director of the National Employment Service, normally using two copies of the application and two recent passport photographs. The absence of a qualified citizen must be certified. The applicable permit type, duration and fee come from the regulations and Fourth Schedule, so the current amount should be checked before filing. An employer must produce permit evidence within four days when requested. Recruitment from outside Lesotho requires the recruited worker to be at least 18 years old. A person should not begin work on the promise that a permit will be arranged later. Employment pay is normally stated in Maloti (M). Statutory minimum wages vary by sector, occupation and length of service. The current official trace is the Labour Act Wages (Minimum Wages) Notice 2026, Legal Notice No. 54, published in the Gazette on 29 May 2026. The reported negotiation signal was an intended increase of 4.5% in most sectors, 4% in textiles and 3% in security, with an intended effect from 1 May 2026. These percentages do not replace the official sector table. The exact applicable amount should be checked in the official Gazette or with the Printer before signing a contract or assessing underpayment. The 2025 rates are obsolete. An employer must disclose the basis and rate of pay. Payment may be made in legal tender or by electronic transfer when the worker consents or requests it. A contract lasting less than one month generally requires payment at the end of each week. A contract lasting more than one month generally requires payment at intervals of no more than one month. Piecework is generally paid at the end of the task unless the worker makes a written request to accumulate the payment. For a non-dismissal ending, final pay is due on the last employment day or the next working day at the latest. After dismissal, final pay is due on the dismissal day. A worker should compare the agreed rate, time worked, overtime, deductions and amount received and keep every payslip or transfer record. Permitted deductions can include lawful tax, provident, medical or pension fund contributions, court-ordered amounts, consented deductions and other regulated items. An employer may not charge the worker for employer-funded training. A worker should ask for an explanation of any deduction that does not match the contract, a legal requirement or a documented consent. A record showing the gross wage, each deduction and the net amount helps distinguish an agreed payroll deduction from an unlawful reduction. Employees register with the Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) for a tax identification number, or TIN. An employer who employs any person must register for Pay As You Earn, or PAYE. Payroll deductions for tax and provident, medical or pension funds may therefore appear on a payslip when they are lawful and applicable. The worker should keep the TIN information, payslips and annual payroll records and should check that the employer's identity and payment records are consistent. Ordinary working time is generally limited to 45 hours per week. A five-day pattern may use nine hours per day. A six-day pattern may use eight hours on five days and five hours on one day. A worker should receive at least a one-hour rest break after no more than five continuous hours. Where continuous work requires overtime, it may reach 12 hours per day and must be paid at not less than 1.25 times the ordinary rate. Work on a weekly rest day or public holiday is paid at twice the ordinary rate, subject to sector exceptions including security and mining. A worker should record ordinary hours, overtime, rest-day work and public-holiday work rather than relying on memory. Annual leave generally accrues at one paid working day for each month of continuous employment, with at least 12 paid working days per year. Additional carry-over may reach 18 working days. Sick-leave rules change with the length of service. The first six months may be unpaid. After six months, up to 12 paid working days may apply in the second six-month period. After 12 months, the stated entitlement is 12 paid and 24 half-paid working days in a 12-month period. A medical certificate is required for sick leave. The worker should submit leave requests and medical evidence in a form that can later be retrieved. Maternity leave covers the period before confinement and seven weeks after it, or eight weeks after it where certified illness applies. Statutory maternity pay is not required unless the contract, collective agreement or employer provides it. Paternity leave is 14 days, adoption bonding leave is 14 days and bereavement leave is five days. A nursing worker receives one paid hour per day for six months after returning to work. The applicable leave dates and supporting documents should be agreed with the employer in writing where the timing affects work scheduling or payroll. Private employment generally starts after age 15. Children aged 13 to 15 may perform light work only in a school or similar institution with Education Department approval. Hazardous or unsuitable work is prohibited. A birth certificate proves age below 18, while an identity document is used from age 18. An employer or recruiter should not place a child in work that conflicts with these restrictions. Age evidence can also be needed when applying for certain employment or permit services. Workplace injuries and occupational disease may fall under the Workmen's Compensation framework administered through the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MOLE) and its Labour Department. A worker should report an injury or work-related illness promptly, obtain medical evidence, record witnesses and retain information about the workplace and employer. Detailed occupational-safety and inspection rules belong mainly to labour-law procedures, but the employment connection, the date of the event and the worker's earnings can affect access to compensation or assistance. An indefinite contract normally requires written notice of one month after at least one year of service, two weeks after more than six months but less than one year, and one week after less than six months. Payment in lieu of notice is possible. An employer may waive notice for serious misconduct. A fixed-term contract normally ends on its stated date without notice unless its renewal clause says otherwise. A specific-work or journey contract ends when the defined work is completed. The worker should keep the written notice, final payslip and any communication about renewal or non-renewal. When a business transfers, employment continuity and existing rights are preserved, and the successor's overall terms may not be less favourable. The employer sets the retirement age at 60 or above. A transfer or retirement decision should be documented because it can affect continuity, final pay, severance and benefit records. The worker should request a certificate of service after more than one month of continuous employment or whenever the employment ends. A dismissal may be based on the worker's capacity, conduct or operational requirements. The worker generally receives an opportunity to defend themselves unless that would be unreasonable. A dismissal that does not meet the applicable requirements may be challenged through the Directorate of Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DDPR), which provides conciliation and arbitration with an affordable, non-adversarial mandate. Specified claims and appeals may proceed to the Labour Court. A worker should keep the dismissal letter, disciplinary notices, response, witness details, contract, payslips and records of working time. After more than one year of service, statutory severance is two weeks of wages for each completed year. Fair dismissal for misconduct does not attract statutory severance, and a more favourable separation scheme replaces the statutory amount where it applies. The calculation should be checked against the completed service period, wage records and any contract or collective agreement. A worker should not sign a settlement or acknowledge a final amount without checking what rights and payments the document covers. The Labour Department and its inspectors provide access to assistance concerning wages, leave, termination and workplace issues. The DDPR provides a dispute process, and the Labour Court handles specified claims and appeals. Keep the contract or written employment terms, identity document, TIN, payslips, wage-payment records, leave requests, medical certificates, injury records, disciplinary documents, termination notice and certificate of service. These records help establish the employment relationship, calculate amounts and explain the sequence of events. Employment services in Lesotho therefore combine formal public institutions, direct company recruitment, licensed agencies, apprenticeship programmes and widespread informal work. The practical value of formal evidence is consistent across these paths: record the agreed work and pay, verify the employer or agency, check current sector rates, document hours and leave, and keep records when employment changes or ends. The National Employment Service, Public Service Commission, Labour Department, Directorate of Dispute Prevention and Resolution and Labour Court each have different functions, so the institution should be matched to the concrete employment problem.