Definitive Guide to Hiring in Gabon

Hiring in Gabon

Hiring employees compliantly in Gabon means doing it yourself or using an Employer of Record like Global Expansion. You should be careful using independent contractor agreements in Gabon so that you don’t run afoul of employment laws. To hire an employee compliantly and offer them mandatory benefits and compliant agreements, you can:

(a) Establish your own new legal entity, banking, accounting and payroll service in Gabon; or

(b) use an Employer of Record like Global Expansion who can handle all of the details for you.

Labor Laws in Gabon

Employee Probation Period

• Probationary periods may not exceed 6 months.

Annual Leave in Gabon

• In general, employees are entitled to 24 days of paid annual leave.

Holidays in Gabon

Maternity Leave Gabon

• Female employees are generally entitled to 14 weeks of paid maternity leave:
• 6 weeks of leave prior to the birth and
• 8 weeks’ after

Paternity Leave Gabon

• Paternity leave is covered in the family allowance leave and equals 3 days
• 10 days of paid leave may be taken for family events.

Sick Leave in Gabon

• The duration of the benefit depends on the duration of the worker's employment and is as follows:
  • 15 days’ sickness benefit for service of less than one year
  • 1 month sickness benefit for service of 1 to 3 years
  • 2 months’ sickness benefit for service of 3 to 5 years
  • 3 months’ benefit for service of 5 to 10 years
  • 4 months’ benefit for service of 10 to 15 years
  • 5 months’ sickness benefit for service of 15 to 20 years
  • 6 months’ sickness benefit for service of 20 to 30 years
  • Additional 10 days of sickness benefit for every extra year after 30 years of service

Working Hours in Gabon

• The workday in Gabon is 8 hours with a 5-day work week.

Overtime in Gabon

• A maximum of 20 hours of overtime per week in cases of exceptional, urgent or seasonal work due to extraordinary overload of work or to the necessity of maintaining/increasing production level, or lack of staff.

Termination of Employment in Gabon

Generally, employees must be notified of termination according to the following schedule:

• • less than 1 year of service: 15 days
  • 1 to 3 years of service: 1 month
  • 3 to 5 years of service: 2 months
  • 5 to 10 years of service: 3 months
  • 10 to 15 years of service: 4 months
  • 15 to 20 years of service: 5 months
  • 20 to 30 years of service: 6 months

• Employees are entitled to severance pay after completing 2 years of service
• Severance pay is as follows
  • 0.4 months of pay after 2 years of employment
  • 0.8 months of pay after 4 years of employment
  • 1 month of pay after 5 years of service
  • 2 months of pay after 10 years of service
  • 4 months of pay after 20 years of service

Notice Period in Gabon

• Generally, employees must be notified of termination according to the following schedule:
• less than 1 year of service: 15 days
• 1 to 3 years of service: 1 month
• 3 to 5 years of service: 2 months
• 5 to 10 years of service: 3 months
• 10 to 15 years of service: 4 months
• 15 to 20 years of service: 5 months
• 20 to 30 years of service: 6 months

Severance in Gabon

• Employees are entitled to severance pay after completing 2 years of service
• Severance pay is as follows
  • 0.4 months of pay after 2 years of employment
  • 0.8 months of pay after 4 years of employment
  • 1 month of pay after 5 years of service
  • 2 months of pay after 10 years of service
  • 4 months of pay after 20 years of service

Gabon Salary and Wages

13th / 14th Month Pay

• No
• There is no statutory requirement to pay the 13th or 14th month salary.
• There is no evidence that it is a customary payment.

• Social security contributions are payable by both the employer and the employee (with the employee’s contribution withheld from salary payments by the employer).
• The contribution amounts are as follows:
  • Contributions to the National Fund for Social Security (CNSS) are payable at a rate of 2.5% for the employee and 16% for the employer, with an annual upper limit of XAF18 million, including benefits in kind and excluding reimbursements of expenses and allowances
  • Contributions to the National Fund for Health (CNAMGS) are payable at a rate of 2% for the employee and 4.1% for the employer, with a monthly upper limit of XAF2.5 million.

Immigration Gabon

• Gabonese authorities issue two types of visas, which vary according to the duration of the permissible stay in Gabon.
• The following are the types of visas:
  • Tourist visa (visa touriste)
  • Business visa (visa d’affaires)
• A tourist visa is granted to non-professional visitors.
• It has a duration of one month.
• This initial period can be extended to a maximum of three months.
• A business visa is granted to foreign workers or businesspersons coming into Gabon for a period that does not exceed three months.
• They are exempt from the entry authorization requirement.
• However, they must state in writing their qualifications and describe the contacts they will meet during their stay in Gabon.
• For individuals who will stay in Gabon for a period longer than three months for the performance of a remunerated activity, the following actions must be taken:
  • Their employer must apply to the Ministry of Labor for an employment authorization (if the employee is less than 60 years of age) and a foreign worker card.
  • They must apply and submit appropriate documentation to the immigration authorities for an entry authorization for the long term.
  • They must apply to the immigration authorities for a residency card and an exit visa if applicable

Value Added Tax (VAT) in Gabon

• VAT is imposed on the supply of goods and services in Gabon and on the import of goods or services.
• The standard rate is 18%.
• A reduced rate of 10% applies to some goods, including mineral water produced in Gabon, imported meat and chickens, sugar, laptops and desktops, canned vegetables and fruits and replacement parts for cars, etc.
• A 5% rate applies to cement, and a 0% rate applies to qualifying exports that have been properly declared to customs and international carriages.

Mandatory Benefits in Gabon

• These are mandatory benefits as postulated by law
• These include probationary period, annual leave, public holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, overtime pay, notice period, and severance pay
• Statutory benefits also include social security benefits

Payroll Accrual in Gabon

Payroll Accruals Additional Information

Accrued Benefits in Gabon

Why use Global Expansion to hire in Gabon

Establishing a branch office or subsidiary in Gabon can be time-consuming, expensive and complex. With such a robust labor market in place, one must pay great attention to detail when structuring employment because Gabon labor laws are complex.

The company also has a responsibility to comply with specific employment practices dictated by Gabon law to maintain its good standing as an equal opportunity employer.

Global Expansion makes it easy for you to expand into Gabon. We'll help you hire your candidate of choice, handle HR matters and payroll, and ensure that you comply with local laws without the burden of setting up a foreign branch office or subsidiary. In addition, you'll have complete control and direction over your employees.

We enable you to stay in control of everything. Our Gabon Global Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and Employer of Record (EOR) solution provides you with peace of mind to focus on running your company and the security to enter new markets.