Expand your global workforce in Cuba

Your guide to the employment landscape, working customs and local labor laws in Cuba.

Capital

Havana (La Habana)

Currency

Cuban Peso

Languages

Spanish, Haitian Creole

GDP per Capita

6,630 USD

Employer Tax

14%

Payroll Frequency

Monthly

Talent overview

Cuba is located in the Caribbean Sea. It is home to over 11 million people, making it the most populous country in the Caribbean. Cuba’s GDP represents 0.09% of the world economy and is expected to reach 97.30 USD Billion in 2022. The Cuban economy is a mixed and centrally-planned economy, with state-owned enterprises accounting for most of the country’s GDP.

Major economic hubs:

Havana, Santiago de Cuba, Camagüey, Holguín

Skills in demand:

Healthcare, Tourism, Manufacturing, Education, Technology

Top local universities in Cuba

Universidad de La Habana

Ranking:

Local: 1

World: 2391

Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas

Ranking:

Local: 2

World: 3754

Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas

Ranking:

Local: 3

World: 4615

Universidad de Pinar del Río Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca

Ranking:

Local: 4

World: 4616

Universidad de Oriente

Ranking:

Local: 5

World: 4820

Top Local Job Boards:

Linkedin, Indeed, CareerJet, Computrabajo

Number of Social Media users:

6.75 million

Top Recruitment Agencies:

Adecco, GECOMEX, Parman

Where to find talent

Top Local Job Boards:

Top Local Job Boards

Number of LinkedIn users:

Number of LinkedIn users

Top Recruitment Agencies:

Salary Data

Some common jobs in Cuba with average monthly salary are as follows;

Job Title	Average Monthly Salary (Cuban Peso)	Average Salary (in USD)
Accounting Assistant	11,600 CUP	478.42 USD
Financial Analyst	26,600 CUP	1097.06 USD
Business Analyst	25,700 CUP	1059.94 USD
Project Manager	23,900 CUP	985.70 USD
Customer Service Manager	29,400 CUP	1212.54 USD
General Manager	38,100 CUP	1571.35 USD
Human Resources Manager	31,000 CUP	1278.53 USD

Employ in Cuba

Employing in Cuba

With its well-educated workforce and proximity to developed countries, Cuba has long been an attractive destination for investors. However, the Cuban government imposes strict controls on businesses operating in the country. Here are some vital labor laws an employer should know.

Employee Contract

In Cuba, the employment contract is known as a “Contrato de Servicio de Fuerza de Trabajo” or “Workforce Service Contract.” Cuba recognizes written and verbal contracts. In the case of verbal agreements, it is valid for 90 days and must be formalized on paper after.

Public and Provincial Holidays

Date	Name	Type
1 Jan	Liberation Day	National holiday
2 Jan	Victory Day	National holiday
7 Apr	Good Friday	National holiday
1 May	Labor Day / May Day	National holiday
25 Jul	Revolution Anniversary	National holiday
26 Jul	Day of the Rebellion	National holiday
27 Jul	Revolution Anniversary Celebration	National holiday
10 Oct	Beginning of the War of Independence	National holiday
25 Dec	Christmas Day	National holiday
31 Dec	New Year’s Eve	National holiday

Leave Compliance

Payroll in Cuba

Payroll cycle

Workers are paid monthly.

Minimum wage

Based on the Occupational group, the minimum wage in Cuba ranges from CUP 2,100 to CUP 6,310 for 40 hours of work per week. Similarly, for 44 hours per week, the minimum wage ranges from CUP 1,910 to CUP 5,735.

Overtime pay

The typical workweek is forty-four hours per week, eight hours per day.

The law doesn’t prohibit mandatory overtime but limits it to 16 hours per week and 160 per year.

Overtime pay is in cash or extra rest time. Workers who must work on a holiday or rest day are paid a 100% premium.

How taxes work

Employer Payroll Tax:

There is no statutory law for employer deductions.

Employee Payroll Tax:

There is no statutory law for employee deductions.

Employee Income Tax:

Tax Rate	Contribution
Up to CUP 10,000	15%
CUP 10,000 – 20,000	20%
CUP 20,000 – 30,000	30%
CUP 30,000 – 50,000	40%
Over CUP 50,000	50%

VAT:

There is no VAT in Cuba.

Bonus

13th Month Pay:

There is no mandatory law about 13th-month pay.

Employee Benefits:

The employer is obliged to provide food and adequate accommodation, where appropriate.

Employee offboarding

Termination process

According to Cuba’s Labor Code, an employment contract may be terminated by both the employee and employer.

For employers, they may only terminate an employee due to:

Loss of suitability, partial disability for a job offer
Disapproved requalification
Non-observance of the disciplinary norms established
Compliance with the term of the maternity leave or, where appropriate
Sanction of deprivation of liberty by final sentence or security measure
Other causes are provided for in the legislation.

Notice period

For contracts with an indefinite period, the notice period depends on which occupation group one belongs to. Below are the conditions and notice period it must follow:

Occupation Group	Notice Period
I and II of the salary scale	15 days
III, IV and V of the salary scale	2 months
VI, VII, VIII and IX of the salary scale and for those who hold positions that require a medium-level degree as a requirement	3 months
Positions that require a higher level degree as a requirement	4 months

Severance pay

There is no recognition of severance or redundancy payments. Still, according to the Labour Code, the worker does have the right to receive the wage for the work performed, the accumulated annual paid vacations, and corresponding to the provision of social security that had been perceived at the time of termination of the employment relationship.

Visa and
immigration

To stay and work in Cuba, individuals have to get:

Type of Visa	Purpose
Cuba Work Visa (D-1)	For foreign nationals who have a work offer from a Cuban company or from a Cuban organization (For technicians and scientists)
Cuba Business Visa (D-7)	For foreign nationals who wish to conduct business in Cuba

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Expand your global workforce in Cuba

Talent overview

Healthcare, Tourism, Manufacturing, Education, Technology

Top local universities in Cuba

Universidad de La Habana

Ranking:

Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas

Ranking:

Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas

Ranking:

Universidad de Pinar del Río Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca

Ranking:

Universidad de Oriente

Ranking:

Top Local Job Boards:

Number of Social Media users:

Top Recruitment Agencies:

Where to find talent

Salary Data

Employ in Cuba

Employing in Cuba

Employee Contract

Public and Provincial Holidays

Payroll in Cuba

Workers are paid monthly.

Based on the Occupational group, the minimum wage in Cuba ranges from CUP 2,100 to CUP 6,310 for 40 hours of work per week. Similarly, for 44 hours per week, the minimum wage ranges from CUP 1,910 to CUP 5,735.

The typical workweek is forty-four hours per week, eight hours per day. The law doesn’t prohibit mandatory overtime but limits it to 16 hours per week and 160 per year. Overtime pay is in cash or extra rest time. Workers who must work on a holiday or rest day are paid a 100% premium.

How taxes work

Employer Payroll Tax:

Employee Payroll Tax:

Employee Income Tax:

VAT:

Bonus

13th Month Pay:

Employee Benefits:

Employee offboarding

Visa and immigration

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The typical workweek is forty-four hours per week, eight hours per day.

The law doesn’t prohibit mandatory overtime but limits it to 16 hours per week and 160 per year.

Overtime pay is in cash or extra rest time. Workers who must work on a holiday or rest day are paid a 100% premium.

Visa and
immigration

Expand into
150+ countries