Employment in South Sudan

South Sudan's employment market combines formal public and private jobs with a much larger informal economy. Around 80% of the population is estimated to rely on low-productivity subsistence farming or livestock keeping, while informal work also includes own-account trading, household work, casual labour and small businesses. Services account for about 20.5% of total employment. Oil production is capital-intensive and provides relatively few formal jobs. Rural work is often agricultural, seasonal or own-account; urban work more often involves services, public administration, trade and small or medium-sized businesses. Women, young people, internally displaced people and migrant workers are disproportionately represented in informal work, although national data remain fragmented and outdated. Formal employment can be public or private and may use an indefinite, fixed-term or task-based contract. A contract may be oral or written, but the employer has to communicate the role, duration, pay, notice arrangements, welfare terms and repatriation arrangements in a form the worker can understand. If a worker has literacy or language difficulties, the terms should be explained before a witness. A probation period may last up to three months. Continuing a fixed-term arrangement for two years changes it to indefinite employment under the stated rule. Labour Regulations 2023 describe casual work as temporary work of up to 90 days in a year. An internship may last up to three months, with one renewal and a six-month maximum; an incentive does not automatically create employee status. Volunteer or incentive-based engagement is not the same as paid employment. The Employment Exchange is legally provided for jobseeker registration under the supervision of the Labour Commissioner. Registration is free and requires identity and qualification evidence; the certificate should be issued within up to three working days and remains valid for up to one year. A jobseeker may register with only one Employment Exchange. Employers generally need written permission before publishing a vacancy through the Exchange, and the Exchange may nominate a candidate; after 14 working days without a suitable nomination, the employer can use the fallback procedure described in the rules. The current nationwide operation is not fully verified: available reporting documented a functioning Juba Employment Service Centre, while the official SSLMIS labour-market information portal's current vacancy and matching functions remain unverified. Informal job searches through personal networks, markets, community organisations, nongovernmental organisations and contractors therefore remain practically significant. A Private Employment Agency requires a licence, registry and displayed licence; a licence lasts two years, and any application fee has not been reliably verified. The Labour Act protects applicants and employees against discrimination based on characteristics including race, tribe, origin, nationality, colour, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, marital status, family responsibilities, age, religion, political opinion, disability, health or HIV status and union activity. It provides for equal pay for work of equal value, freedom to join a union, and prohibitions on sexual harassment and forced labour. Light work may begin at age 12 when it is not harmful, while the rules restrict the worst forms of child labour from age 14; the CMP and ILO have identified a normative conflict affecting ages 14 to 18. The Labour Act generally covers employers and employees but excludes the Army, Organized Forces, National Security Service, judges, government legal counsels, the diplomatic service and constitutional postholders. The Civil Service Act may provide more favourable rules for civil servants. Wages must be paid in legal tender. Hourly or daily wages are due at the end of the relevant period, monthly wages by the end of the month, and task-based pay when the task is completed. The employer should provide a written pay statement at each payment. Lawful deductions can include tax, court orders, pension, rent, advances, proven damage and union dues, but deductions are capped at 20% or 30% of remuneration depending on the rule applied, excluding tax and court deductions. The employer cannot deduct the cost of tools or personal protective equipment from pay. Final settlement should be completed within 30 days. The Labour Advisory Council recommends minimum-wage levels using factors such as basic needs, living costs and productivity and should review them at intervals of no more than two years, but no current national minimum-wage rate has been reliably verified. Normal working time is limited to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. Shift work is averaged at no more than 40 hours over three weeks. Agreed overtime may exceed three hours per day or ten hours per week and is paid at 1.5 times ordinary pay, or twice ordinary pay on a weekly rest day. After more than five hours of work, the worker receives at least one paid hour of break time. Weekly rest requires at least 24 consecutive hours. Paid annual leave is 21 working days after one to less than three years of service, 25 days after three to less than 15 years, and 30 days after 15 years or more. Sick leave provides 12 days of full pay per year. Maternity leave provides 90 days of full pay plus 45 days of breastfeeding leave or half-day work, and paternity leave provides two weeks of full pay. Compassionate leave may reach three days per year after at least three months of service. Employers have occupational-safety duties that include risk assessment, a safe workplace, training, clean drinking water, personal protective equipment and a workplace safety policy. Enforcement capacity is weak in practice. Notice periods are one month after at least one year of service, two weeks after six months but less than one year, and one week below six months. A fixed period or task ends without notice, and gross misconduct can justify dismissal without notice. Other grounds include incapacity, repeated poor performance after warning and an opportunity to respond, and operational change. The employer should give the reason in writing. Dismissal cannot lawfully be based on discrimination, union activity, a complaint or grievance, lawful absence or a claim to statutory entitlements. For redundancy, consultation and notice should begin at least 30 days before termination. After at least one year, severance may equal two weeks of wages for each completed year. General severance can also arise after at least six months for unfair dismissal, death, incapacity, the employer's death or insolvency, with the calculation subject to negotiation. A separate gratuity applies after one year: one month's gross pay per year up to ten years, 1.5 months per year above ten years and 1.75 months per year above 15 years, capped at 36 months. A termination dispute can be submitted in writing to the CCMA for free conciliation within 30 days; after a certificate, the Labour Court can hear the matter if filed within the following 30 days. The Ministry of Labour formulates and administers employment standards. Labour Inspectors check compliance, State Labour Offices handle functions within their authority, and the Ministry of Public Service and Human Resource Development deals with civil-service employment. The CCMA provides conciliation, mediation and arbitration, while the Labour Court adjudicates disputes. The Labour Advisory Council advises on wages. SSWTUF and EASS represent social-partner interests. NBS and SSLMIS provide labour-market information. The NSIF Act 2023 created a formal social-insurance framework, but operating coverage and contribution practice have not been sufficiently verified, and informal workers often lack documented benefits, payslips, social insurance or effective redress. Foreign workers generally need a valid work permit and a contract approved by the Labour Commissioner, and employers must show that the required local skills are unavailable. The rules reserve vending, hawking, driving, office support and other manual work for South Sudanese nationals. They also prioritise South Sudanese nationals for at least 80% of management positions. Work-permit fees and processing times have not been reliably verified, while 2025 and 2026 Ministry of Labour signals indicate stricter compliance enforcement. Many migrant workers remain informal. South Sudanese citizens working abroad are expected to register with the National Labour Commissioner. State-level access and enforcement may differ, but no reliable state-specific distinction is established for the country-wide scope.