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Your guide to the employment landscape, working customs and local labor laws in Cape Verde.
Capital
Praia
Currency
Cape Verde Escudo (CVE)
Languages
Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole
GDP per Capita
$3,600.22
Employer Tax
15%
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
Cape Verde is a small archipelagic nation located near the coasts of Senegal and Mauritania. It is a service-oriented country lacking in natural resources. It experiences devastating droughts due to a lack of rain in the area (save a few islands) which totally limit the country’s agricultural development. However, Cape Verde boasts a strong tourism industry, largely due to significant cooperation with Portugal.
Major economic hubs:
Praia Town
Skills in demand:
Local: 1
World : 6570
Local: 2
World : 8811
Local: 3
World : 8989
Local: 4
World : 10168
Local: 5
World : 10790
Jobs Island (Cape Verde), Jobnet Africa, Michael Page (Africa)
68,110
Top Local Job Boards:
Top Local Job Boards
Number of LinkedIn users:
Number of LinkedIn users
Top Recruitment Agencies:
The average monthly salary of some common jobs in Cape Verde is mentioned below
Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (CVE) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
Finance Licensing Manager | 284,000 | 2745.51 |
General Manager | 347,000 | 3354.55 |
Business Development Manager | 310,000 | 2996.86 |
Financial Commercial Analyst | 203,000 | 1962.46 |
Business Analyst | 245,000 | 2368.49 |
Project Manager | 222,000 | 2146.14 |
Hiring in Cape Verde requires you to be aware of the local employment laws, benefits, payroll, and taxes. Given below is everything you need to know on how to successfully onboard talents from Cape Verde.
Contracts in Cape Verde can either be verbal or written according to the Labour Code. The minimum age to sign a contract is 15 years old. If the employee is less than 18 years old then parents or legal guardians can demand the cancellation of the contract. The most common type of contract used by employers in Cape Verde is a written contract. Cape Verde uses two languages, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole. They can use either language in writing contracts but in practice, they use Portuguese the most. Therefore, it’s recommended that they use Portuguese; however, by law, they can use either.
The probationary period for employees ranges from 15 days to 2 months.
Date | Name | Type |
1 Jan | New Year | Public Holiday |
13 Jan | Freedom and Democracy Day | Public Holiday |
20 Jan | National Heroes’ Day | Public Holiday |
7 Apr | Good Friday | Public Holiday |
1 May | Labour Day | Public Holiday |
1 Jun | Children’s Day | Public Holiday |
5 Jul | Independence Day | Public Holiday |
15 Aug | Assumption of Mary | Public Holiday |
1 Nov | All Saints’ Day | Public Holiday |
25 Dec | Christmas Day | Public Holiday |
Type of leave | Time period | Mandatory |
Annual leave/Earned Leave | 22 – 44 days | Yes |
Maternity Leave | 2 months | Yes |
Sick Leave | 30 days | Yes |
Payroll cycle
Workers are paid monthly. The payroll schedule must not exceed more than 31 days from the last payment.
Minimum wage
The national minimum wage in Cape Verde is CVE 13,000.
Overtime pay
The standard working hours in Cape Verde are 38 hours per week and 7 hours per day. Regular overtime in Cape Verde should be at least 50% on top of the regular pay.
For night work starting from 22:00 to 6:00, employees are entitled to a compensation of 25% on top of regular pay which cannot exceed more than 7 hours per week.
Weekend and holiday compensation rates are 100% on top of regular pay.
Type of Contribution | Contribution Rate |
Social security | 15% |
Type of Contribution | Contribution Rate |
Social security | 8% |
Employees who earn up to a net of CVE 220,000 annually are exempted from taxation.
Taxable Income (CVE) | Tax Rate (%) |
0 – 960,000.00 | 16.5 |
960,000.01 – 1,800,000.00 | 23.1 |
Over 1,800,000.01 | 27.5 |
The standard VAT in Cape Verde is 15% (8% for electricity and water for end-users).
The 13th-month pay is not mandatory in Cape Verde but is customary.
Full-time employees in Cape Verde are ensured to have insurance benefits such as
Employers cannot terminate the employment contract without just cause. Valid reasons for termination include economic, market reasons, misconduct for a serious incident, or disciplinary issues destroying the employment relationship.
The notice period before termination for probationary and regular employees is up to 30 days.
An employee employed for less than 1 year is entitled to 1.75 days’ basic pay per month. Employees with 1 year of service are entitled to 21 days of basic pay.
Employees with more than 1 year but less than 5 years of service are entitled to 15 days of basic pay per year.
Employees with more than 5 years of service are entitled to 10 days of basic remuneration per year after the first five years.
Business visas to Cape Verde are easily processed. However, you must visit their consulates inside your country to obtain your business visa according to their requirements. You can also email (address depends on Cape Verde’s consulate within your country) your application for easier processing.
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