Employment in Botswana

Employment in Botswana includes finding work, agreeing written terms, receiving pay, following workplace duties and ending or changing the employment relationship. The Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs handles employment services, labour administration, workplace safety and work permits through bodies such as the Department of Employment Services, the Department of Labour and Social Security and the Department of Occupational Health and Safety. Statistics Botswana provides official labour-market data, while the Botswana Unified Revenue Service administers PAYE income-tax deductions. The preliminary Botswana Multi-Topic Household Survey 2024/25 covered data collected from November 2024 to November 2025. Among people aged 15 and above, 1,018,099 were in the labour force and 804,663 were employed. The labour-force participation rate was 65%, the employment-to-population ratio was 51.4% and unemployment was 21%; the extended unemployment rate was 27.3%. Among people aged 15 to 35, unemployment was 28.9%, with 30.7% for females and 27.2% for males. The youth NEET rate, covering young people not in employment, education or training, was 37.1%. Employment growth did not keep pace with labour-force growth, making entry into work especially difficult for young job seekers. Formal employment accounted for 384,515 jobs, or 51.0% of total employment in the Quarterly Multi-Topic Survey for the first quarter of 2024. Citizens held 368,023 of these jobs, compared with 16,493 held by non-citizens. Public administration, education and wholesale, retail and motor-vehicle activities were the largest formal sectors in that dataset. Service and sales workers, technicians and elementary occupations were the largest formal occupational groups. Average monthly cash earnings in formal employment were P8,149 overall, P8,781 for citizens, P17,180 for non-citizens, P9,893 for males and P8,450 for females. These averages do not determine an individual salary. Informal-sector employment was recorded at 173,583. It included self-employed household enterprises, private-sector informal work and piece jobs. Average cash earnings for informal wage earners were P2,526. Self-employment and piece work do not automatically have the same legal classification as dependent employment, so the existence of work does not by itself establish an employee’s rights under an employment contract. The Labour Market Observatory offers citizen job seekers registration, vacancy matching, counselling and internship-related services through a District Labour Office. Registration has no stated cost and does not guarantee placement; matching depends on a suitable vacancy. The Unemployed Graduate Database, administered by the Directorate of Public Service Management, is intended for unemployed citizens with a diploma or bachelor’s degree and no work experience. Registration is online and immediate, but placement depends on vacancies and does not guarantee pensionable public employment. The National Internship Programme supports unemployed citizen graduates under 35 through attachments of up to two years. The Department of Employment Services selects applicants according to vacancy, qualification and location. Depending on the case, documents include an Omang, certified qualifications, a CV, transcript and completion letter. Processing is stated as 30 working days subject to an available slot. A monthly allowance may be available, but the current service information does not state its amount; an internship is not employment and does not guarantee later absorption. Tirelo Sechaba offers an experience and skills pathway for unemployed out-of-school citizens aged 20 to 30 without a tertiary qualification. It is processed through the Ministry of Youth and Gender Affairs, usually within 30 working days subject to availability. Current government information gives conflicting duration details, so the period should be verified before relying on it. Private recruiters require a Recruiter’s Licence or Recruiter’s Permit regulated by the Department of Labour and Social Security. Type A and Type B permit fees are BWP5 and BWP20 respectively. The permitted fee charged to a candidate is not established in the available information, so verify the recruiter’s licence before paying any amount. Non-citizens generally need a work permit for paid employment unless a certificate exemption applies. Applications go to the nearest Labour Office and commonly require a recent job advert, employment contract, signed work application, offer or appointment letter, CV, certified qualifications, passport and two passport photographs; professional clearance may also be required. Processing is stated as 14 working days and the fee as BWP1,500. Renewals should be started at least six months before expiry. An employment visa requires valid work and residence permission and normally takes 7 to 14 working days. Permanent-residence holders, people in exempt positions and certain investors may seek a certificate exemption, stated as taking seven working days with a BWP1,500 fee. Permission to work is therefore a separate access requirement and is not automatic. Foreign-language certificates need an English translation and confirmation from the Botswana Qualifications Authority. Regulated professions may also require clearance from the relevant professional regulator; examples include medicine, teaching, accounting, football, piloting and engineering. The responsible regulator depends on the occupation. The Employment and Labour Relations Act, 2025, was reported by the government as commencing on 1 September 2026. It consolidates earlier employment, trade-union and dispute arrangements, but regulations and operational practice remain transition-sensitive. Written employment terms receive stronger emphasis, including for domestic, construction and farm work. Fixed-term employment is limited to 12 months unless an objective justification applies, and part-time or fixed-term conditions should not be less favourable than comparable permanent conditions. Casual work averaging more than 22.5 hours per week over 12 months is treated under the government briefing as indefinite employment. Employers generally deduct and remit PAYE when employment income exceeds P2,500 per month. PAYE covers salary, wages, bonuses, allowances, commissions, pension amounts, lump sums and non-cash benefits. The employer files the annual PAYE return within 31 days after the tax year, and the employee should retain the ITW8 tax certificate. Net pay is lower than gross pay when tax and other lawful deductions apply. Minimum wages depend on the applicable sector and occupation. Government discussions referred to an increase from P1,500 toward P4,000, while the lowest public-service pay was reported as P4,000 in 2026. A P4,000 floor across the private sector was not yet an immediate general rule as of July 2026, so the current Wage Order and applicable employment instruments must be checked for the specific job. Reported 2025 Act changes include 14 weeks of maternity leave at 70% of salary, five working days of paternity leave, ten working days of adoption leave and 20 working days linked to hospitalisation. Protections cover discrimination connected with pregnancy, health status, disability and sexual orientation, and sexual harassment is prohibited. Rules also regulate ordinary hours, rest, overtime and emergency work. For night work between 18:00 and 06:00, the government briefing requires transport between the workplace and residence under section 217(2)(b); implementation details should be checked during the transition to the new Act. Workers can request a routine or spot labour inspection through the nearest District Labour Office without submitting documents or paying a fee. The stated target is two weeks for a routine inspection and 14 days for a spot check, depending on the seriousness of the issue. Employment disputes may involve the Labour Office, the Mediation and Arbitration Commission or the Industrial Court, depending on the matter. A workplace injury or occupational disease should be reported to the employer immediately or within 10 days. The employer should report it to the department within 17 days, and the worker should submit a compensation claim at the nearest Labour Office within 12 months with the required medical assessment and forms. Employment can end through contract expiry, resignation, dismissal, retrenchment or retirement. Final pay, severance, dispute options, re-employment and the effect of permit expiry depend on the contract, the applicable law and the individual circumstances. Workers should keep their written contract, payslips, tax certificate, leave and attendance records, and permit documents. They should also check that agreed pay is received, deductions are lawful, workplace instructions are lawful and safety obligations are being met.