The Ivory Coast, officially known as the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, is a country on the Southern coast of West Africa, bordered by Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and the Gulf of Guinea. It has a workforce of 12.2 million people (2023) and a GDP of 78.88 billion US dollars in 2023.

The economy of the Ivory Coast is largely market-based, depending heavily on the agricultural sector, with 68% of the population employed in agriculture. Major exports include cocoa, mineral fuels, and palm oil, leaving the country vulnerable to international price fluctuations for these commodities. 

With a sensitive economy, workers in the Ivory Coast are protective over their employee benefits, ensuring them the right to benefits such as a protected wage, annual leave, and overtime compensation.

This help guide will provide a thorough overview of employee benefits in the Ivory Coast, giving information on official labor laws, mandatory and supplementary employee benefits, plus details on how Remote People can help simplify hiring in the Ivory Coast.

Ivorian Employment Laws

Ivorian labor law is dictated by the Labour Code of the Ivory Coast, including the following key acts:

  • The Ivorian Constitution
  • Law No. 2015-532 of 20 July 2015 on the Labour Code
  • Decree No. 96-203 of 7 March 1996 on Working Hours
  • Decree No. 2013-791 of 20 November 2013 on the revaluation of the Guaranteed Interprofessional Minimum Wage
  • Decree No. 96-287 of 3 April 1996 on the employment contract

These acts provide employees in the Ivory Coast with protections for paid annual leave, parental leave, fixed contracts, and the right to a minimum wage.

Employers looking to employ in the Ivory Coast must consult with legal professionals to ensure that all mandatory employee benefit laws are adhered to when issuing employment contracts.

Mandatory Employee Benefits in the Ivory Coast

There are several mandatory employee benefits that workers are entitled to in the Ivory Coast. Details on these benefits are as follows:

Social Security Contributions

The Ivory Coast uses a Social Security System to levy funds for employees in certain situations, providing financial security in the following circumstances:

  • Old Age
  • Disability
  • Unemployment
  • Sickness
  • Maternity
  • Occupational Accident/Injury

Employees must contribute to the social security system along with their employer to be eligible for the above benefits.

The rates for social security in the Ivory Coast are as follows:

Contributor Rate
Employees 6.3%
Employers 18.45%

Annual Paid Leave

Workers of the Ivory Coast are entitled to paid annual leave. This consists of 21 consecutive days of annual leave, excluding national and religious holidays, paid at the full rate of an employee’s rate of pay.

Annual leave increases in line with years of service as follows:

Years of Service Additional Leave Days
After 5 years 1 day
After 10 years 2 days
After 15 years 3 days
After 20 years 5 days
After 25 years 7 days
After 30 years 8 days

Working Hours

Working hours in the Ivory Coast are typically 40 hours per week for non-agricultural enterprises and 48 hours per week for farms and agricultural businesses. Hours worked over these amounts count as overtime and must be paid accordingly.

If an employee completes hours between 9 pm – 5 am, this is constituted as night work. Night work is paid at a premium of 3 times the minimum hourly wage if an employee has worked 6 consecutive hours or more, and it must not exceed 8 consecutive hours.

Employees must have a rest period of at least 24 consecutive hours per week, which is typically taken on a Sunday.

National Minimum Wage

Employers hiring in the Ivory Coast must pay employees the minimum wage as dictated by the Labour Code. There are two minimum wages that employers must adhere to:

Category Monthly Minimum Wage
Interprofessional Minimum Wage 75,000 CFA francs
Agricultural Minimum Wage 36,000 CFA francs

The body responsible for ensuring compliance with minimum wage laws is The Labour and Social Legislation Inspectorate, and it can impose fines if the minimum wage isn’t adhered to.

Overtime Pay

The Ivory Coast encourages employees to avoid overtime where possible, but where it is unavoidable, it must be compensated at an increased rate of pay.

The overtime rate is generally pay at 125% of an employee’s regular wage and is payable on hours exceeding an employee’s typical contracted hours (usually 40 hours per week).

Executive workers may be excluded from overtime restrictions if they are provided with a lump-sum premium. This should be specified in their employment contract.

There are 14 public holidays in the Ivory Coast. These are generally considered paid days off for employees, with an extra holiday day being provided if an employee works on a public holiday. The public holidays in the Ivory Coast are as follows:

  • January 1: New Year
  • March 27: The Day After Laila Tou-Kadr (movable date)
  • March 30: Aid el-Fitr (movable date)
  • April 21: Easter Monday (movable date)
  • May 1: Labor Day
  • May 29: Ascension Day (movable date)
  • June 7: Aid el-Kebir (movable date)
  • June 9: Whit Monday (movable date)
  • August 7: Independence Day
  • August 15: Assumption of Mary
  • September 5: The Day After the Prophet’s  Birthday (movable date)
  • November 1: All Saints’ Day
  • November 15: National Peace Day
  • December 25: Christmas Day

Employees in the Ivory Coast must be protected if they become ill and are unable to work. Sick leave is generally unpaid for the first 3 days of sickness, from which point an employee will be paid a minimum of 45% of the minimum wage during the first 6 months of sickness.

The worker’s job must also be protected in these first 6 months. There is no guaranteed paid sick leave if an employee has worked less than 6 months. It is at the employer’s discretion whether they offer sick pay to these employees.

Maternity Leave

If a female employee becomes pregnant, they are entitled to paid maternity leave. This consists of 14 consecutive weeks of paid leave, with 6 weeks usually taken before delivery and 8 weeks taken after delivery.

The rate of maternity pay is the same as the employee was paid during employment and is paid by the Social Security Institution.

Job security must be upheld for employees during pregnancy and maternity leave, and workers are also entitled to rest periods for breastfeeding purposes for 15 days from the date they return to work. These periods mustn’t exceed 1 hour per working day.

Paternity Leave

2 days of paid paternity leave is provided to fathers that have recently experienced the birth of a child. Paternity leave is payable by the employer at the full rate of an employee’s wage.

Employees may receive an additional 8 days of paternity leave, which is payable by the government via family allowance.

Pension

Pensioners in the Ivory Coast are entitled to retire at the age of 60, providing that they have a minimum of 15 years of paid/credited contributions.

The general civil pension is claimable by civil servants, military officials, ex-temporary staff, ambassadors, and former members of the economic/social council of the country. They can claim benefits such as the old-age pension, the survivor’s pension, the survivor’s grant, and a disability pension.

Employers may also offer supplementary retirement benefits, but there are no statutory legal conditions regarding this.

Severance Pay

Employees are eligible for severance pay if they work in the Ivory Coast and are dismissed due to reasons not attributable to the worker. Severance pay is payable as follows:

Years of Service Severance Pay
1 – 5 years 30% of employee’s monthly salary
6 – 10 years 35% of employee’s monthly salary
Over 10 years 40% of employee’s monthly salary

Supplementary Employee Benefits in Norway

Alongside mandatory benefits, it’s generally advised to offer employees supplementary benefits. Extra benefits can attract new applicants to job vacancies while also improving your overall employee retention rates.

Here are some examples of supplementary employee benefits that you could offer to workers in the Ivory Coast:

  • Performance bonuses
  • Enhanced pension opportunities
  • Private healthcare options
  • Life insurance
  • Fuel card
  • Incentive programs
  • Travel/accommodation/food expenses

Optimize Employee Benefits with Remote People

Some employers are hesitant to hire in the Ivory Coast due to the strict employee benefits requirements—but that’s where Remote People’s Employer of Record (EOR) services can help. From managing benefit administration to streamlining payroll, our EOR solution makes hiring in the Ivory Coast significantly easier.

With a deep understanding of local labor laws, language, and customs, our team ensures full compliance throughout the employment process. You can also reach out to Remote People for support with PEO services in the Ivory Coast to further simplify HR and legal compliance.

We can also help with hiring in the Ivory Coast with our Ivorian Recruitment services. Get access to a pool of talented people that can take your business to the next level, navigated by our team of experienced recruitment executives.