Overview
Angola (officially the Republic of Angola) is a country located in south-eastern Africa with a significant coastline in the Atlantic Ocean. The country is rich in oil and gas resources, agricultural land, diamonds, and hydroelectric potential. Since its civil war ended in 2002, it grew at an exceptional rate of 11.1% till 2010, after which the growth has halted, but major oil corporations still operate in the country. Foreign trade is important for Angola’s economy as the total value of imports and exports is equal to 57.6% of the country’s GDP.
Currency: Angolan Kwanza
Principal Languages: Portuguese, Angolan Portuguese
Government: Republic, Presidential System, Unitary State
Capital City: Luanda
Other Major Cities: Huambo, Lobito, Lubango, Kuito
Employment Contracts
It is obligatory for the employer to provide an employment contract in writing when the employee requests it, when the employer is a minor or a foreigner, and when it is a fixed-term contract. Depending on the size of the firm, the duration of a fixed-term contract can be renewed for up to 10 years.
An implied probationary period of 60 days is mandatory in employment contracts for an unlimited term. The contract can also specify the duration of probation. The duration of the terms and conditions in the employment contract can be negotiated between the employee and employer and renewed twice.
Work/Time Regulations
The maximum workweek is 44 hours a week. The workweek may be extended up to 54 hours for shift work or flexible hours. Sunday is the usual day of rest. Employers are also required to allow lunch breaks for at least 1 hour and daily rest periods of at least 10 hours.
Overtime
Overtime pay must include a premium of 150% of the regular hourly wage for the first 30 hours of overtime per month, and 175% for additional hours. Overtime is limited to 200 hours a year and may only be extended with prior authorization of the General Labor Inspectorate. Night work, which is defined as the period between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., generally includes a premium of 125% of the rate paid for the same work performed during the day.
Leave
Holidays
The paid public holidays observed in Angola are:
- Jan. 1: New Year's Day
- Feb. 4: Liberation Movement Day
- March 8: International Women's Day
- Carnival
- Easter
- April 4: Peace Day
- May 1: Labor Day
- Sept. 17: National Heroes Day
- Nov. 2: Memorial Day
- Nov. 11: Independence Day
- Dec. 25: Christmas Day
When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the work holiday is moved to the following Monday.
Annual Leave
An employee is entitled to 22 working days per calendar year of paid leave plus a bonus of 50% of 1 month's base wages. Working mothers receive an additional paid day of leave for each child aged 14 or under.
Sick Leave
Angola treats sick leave and family care leave as a single unit. An employee is allowed 3 days per month of leave, up to a maximum of 24 days per year.
Paid Parental Leave
Maternity leave of 3 months is provided to women who have made a minimum of 6 months of contributions into the social security system during the previous 12 months. Leave begins 4 weeks before the due date. A father can take 1 day of leave when his child is born.
Maternity Leave
Maternity leave of 12 weeks is mandatory for women who have made a minimum of 6 months' contributions into the social security system during the previous 12 months. Leave begins 4 weeks before the due date.
An additional 4 weeks of leave may be taken without pay, and paid leave can be extended in the case of an abortion, stillbirth, and child’s death during maternity leave. During the pregnancy and for 15 months after delivery, the employee may take 1 day’s paid leave per month for medical care for herself or her child.
Other Leaves
- Military Service Leave: 2 days per month up to a maximum of 15 days per year.
- Education Leave: Unpaid leave for 60 days of education or training.
- Marriage Leave: 8 consecutive days to get married.
- Bereavement Leave: 8 days for the death of a spouse, cohabiting partner, parent, or child and 3 days for the death of a grandparent, in-law, sibling, grandchild, or any of their spouses.
Benefits
Pension and Social Security
Both employees and employers make mandatory contributions to the social security system to cover:
- healthcare;
- benefits for maternity leave and pregnancy,
- occupational accidents and illness;
- old age and retirement pensions;
- disability benefits;
- death benefits; and
- benefits for survivors and dependents.
Workers are entitled to retire at 60 years of age or after 35 years of service with 180 months of contributions, continuous or not, into the social security system. Pensions are paid monthly.
Workers in dangerous, hazardous, or stressful occupations are entitled to early retirement at age 50 with 180 months of contributions, continuous or not, into the social security system.
The retirement age of a working mother may be reduced by 1 year for each child up to a maximum of five.
Workers' Compensation
Both employees and employers make mandatory contributions to the social security system to cover occupational accidents and illness, disability benefits, death benefits and benefits for survivors and dependents.
How GPS can Help
With our Global PEO/Employer of Record services, companies can expand into Angola and hire their employees without having to establish a branch office or subsidiary in Angola.
- Your candidate is hired via our Angola PEO. If needed, we can also help you find the right talent in any country with our comprehensive global staffing services
- Your new employee begins work quickly as we take care of employment contracts, statutory and non-statutory benefits, and running their payroll – all in full compliance with the Angola laws
- Global PEO Services experts manage all day-to-day operational issues, such as employee expenses, and severance/termination if required.
- No contractor risks, pass on the compliance burden to Global PEO Services.
Spin Off/M&A Support
- Ensure continuity of payroll, benefits and HR support when acquiring or spinning off a business with employees overseas.
24/7 Support in 150+ Countries
- Empower your teams with 24×7 support and a single point-of-contact model in which experienced client services directors are in continuous communication with information and advice.
- We are backed by a mix of 300+ multidisciplinary experts from HR, Payroll, Finance, Tax, and Legal domains who are ready to respond to the expected and unexpected needs of your business on the shortest notice.
Easy Visibility into Your Employee Time & Attendance and Benefits Data
With our Global PEO, you get access to our proprietary Mihi SaaS solution for time and attendance, vacation, leave management and benefits enrollment and management. Mihi enables clients to have easy access to employee data in real time. It is designed specifically for companies with a global workforce, especially when working in multiple countries with low headcount.
Ready for Growth When You Are
When ready, we can seamlessly transition you from the PEO/EOR model to your own legal entity and provide ongoing international HR, finance, legal, compliance and staffing support. Learn more about our end-to-end international expansion services here.