Employment in Sierra Leone

The Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security supports job matching, jobseeker registration, career guidance, labour-market information, work permits, inspection and dispute resolution. Its SL-LMIS Job Tracker provides free vacancies, CV-building tools, job alerts and direct applications. Employment centres can provide vacancies, applications, labour cards and unemployment certificates. Private employment agencies, advertisements, interviews and direct applications are additional routes. Employers generally have to report vacancies to the Commissioner of Labour and Employment, and Sierra Leoneans receive priority in recruitment and training. A foreign expert is generally considered only where a local skills shortage exists and the employer has a training and succession plan. Foreign workers may also need an e-Work Permit and, for regulated occupations, professional registration. Recruitment charges or gifts are generally not permitted except for a prescribed fee. Formal employment is established in law, but access and coverage are fragmented. Farming, market trade, fishing, mining and artisan work, transport, domestic and service work, construction, apprenticeships and self-employment are highly relevant in practice and often depend on local networks, available capital and personal contacts. Administrative SL-LMIS data recorded 31,803 active registered formal workers, but this figure does not represent total employment in Sierra Leone. The latest ILOSTAT household survey identified in the research dates from 2018, while the Statistics Sierra Leone Labour Force Survey dates from 2014; neither should be replaced by the administrative register. The Employment Act 2023 generally applies to employers and workers, including civilian workers, but excludes the Armed Forces, Police Force, Fire Force and Correctional Service. An employment contract may be oral or written, but the contract and human-resources rules generally require vetting and attestation by the Commissioner, with a copy for the worker. Missing attestation does not remove rights already earned. Written particulars must be supplied no later than 12 weeks after work starts and should state the job, workplace, pay and payment interval, deductions, overtime, working hours, leave, sickness arrangements, notice, collective agreements and disciplinary rules. Probation may last up to six months. A probationary termination generally requires seven days' notice or pay instead. A fixed-term contract lasting less than six months may be extended once, while casual or temporary work is intended for seasonal or intermittent work and is limited to six months; after more than six months with the same employer and an available position, treatment as a permanent worker can arise. The national minimum wage is NLe 1,200 per month from 1 April 2026 and applies to oral and written workers. Each payment should include an itemised statement showing gross pay, every deduction and its purpose, and net pay. An employer generally withholds and sends PAYE income tax to the National Revenue Authority under the applicable tax regime, normally by the 15th of the following month. Registration with the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) is required even when an employer has one worker. The contribution is 5% for the worker and 10% for the employer, with payment due by the 15th after the end of the month; contract, part-time, casual and domestic workers are covered, while self-employed people may contribute voluntarily at 15% of declared income. Normal working time is up to eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. A contract may extend this to a maximum of 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week. A written shift arrangement may use an average of up to 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week over a period of no more than three weeks. A break of at least 30 minutes applies when work lasts eight hours or more. Unless a written rule provides otherwise, overtime attracts a 50% increase on weekdays, 100% on weekends and public holidays, and night work attracts at least a 30% increase. Workers generally report an absence and its reason within 24 hours. After three months of service, paid good-cause absence can cover force majeure, court summons, family death and sickness within the applicable limits. Workers may join, leave and participate in trade unions. The law prohibits discrimination, unequal pay between men and women for work of equal value, forced labour, violence, harassment and sexual harassment. An applicant generally cannot be required to take a pregnancy test unless a high-risk role or legal restriction justifies it. Maternity leave lasts at least 14 weeks with full remuneration and job-return protection; paternity leave lasts two weeks, with full remuneration and a maximum of one use per year. Annual leave after one year is at least one month's basic salary as a leave allowance, rising to 1.5 months when the employer prevents the leave. Sick leave requires notice and a medical certificate. A child under 15 cannot be employed at a workplace, and a worker under 18 cannot perform night work, overtime or underground work. Interns are limited to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week and may receive a stipend or allowance; apprentices may start from age 14. At the end of employment, the worker should receive a certificate of service. Ending an open-ended contract generally requires one month's notice or one month's basic salary instead. Serious misconduct can justify summary dismissal. Severance or end-of-service payment can arise after at least one year when employment ends through termination, retirement, death, resignation or redundancy, except for gross misconduct, and payment is due within one month. A collective termination affecting at least 5% of workers within four weeks requires consultation, union information and notice to the Commissioner. A worker challenging unfair termination generally submits a written complaint to the Commissioner or High Court within 12 months. Possible remedies include reinstatement, re-employment or compensation, and the Commissioner may order at least 24 months of minimum wages. Keep the certificate of service and NASSIT record because they support later employment, old-age, invalidity and survivor-benefit claims.