Haiti had approximately 4.5 million workers in 2025, although detailed current figures remain limited because the latest household survey used in the ILOSTAT database dates from 2012. Agriculture, self-employment, household work and day labor are widespread. Formal employment provides clearer contracts, wage rules and access to social protection, but coverage and enforcement remain uneven. The Ministère des Affaires Sociales et du Travail (MAST) oversees the employment system. The Direction de la Main-d’œuvre (DMO) records skills, provides career guidance and supports placement. The Service Public de l’Emploi (SPE) offers a digital platform where jobseekers and employers can view vacancies, filter listings and access profiles. DMO support may include an in-person visit, questionnaire, file submission, tests, an interview and follow-up. Placement for workers is free under the Labour Code, while a private placement agency needs a DMO licence. The SPE portal does not publish a general fee for its services. A Haitian worker generally obtains a livret de travail through the DMO. An employment contract may be written or oral, express or implied, and may have a fixed or indefinite duration. Public employment commonly uses a concours, recruitment without a concours or a contract. Haiti has no single universal application deadline; the employer, vacancy and institution set the practical timetable. A foreign worker generally needs a permis de travail or permis d’emploi issued through the DMO. Typical documents include a passport, residence permit, three photographs, a police clearance certificate, DMO evidence or a validated contract and qualification documents. A permit is valid for up to one year and may be renewed for a maximum period of five years. A permis de travail costs HTG 1,000; a permis d’emploi costs half of the agreed monthly wage. The legal minimum wage varies by sector. A 2026 government communication set at least HTG 1,000 per day for subcontracting and export manufacturing, but a complete and reliable 2026 wage table is not available here, so older rates should not be applied automatically. Employers generally pay manual workers within 15 days and intellectual workers within one month. Informal work often lacks a written contract and regular social protection. Normal working time under the Labour Code is generally eight hours per day and 48 hours per week. The 2017 three-shift law allows continuous 24-hour operations in three eight-hour shifts. Night work between 18:00 and 06:00 generally attracts at least a 50% supplement, subject to special rules for export and shift-based operations. Employers must pay on time, provide safe and hygienic working tools and treat workers respectfully. Workers must follow the contract, work carefully, obey lawful instructions and protect confidential information. A permanent worker who has completed one year is entitled to at least 15 paid vacation days. Certified sickness generally gives up to 15 paid days per year, calculated proportionally when service is shorter than one year. The Labour Code provides 12 weeks of maternity protection for workers enrolled with OFATMA, with a transitional six-week employer payment rule. Pregnancy and breastfeeding receive workplace protection. OFATMA covers employment accidents, sickness and maternity, including for domestic workers. Private employees are generally covered by ONA with a 6% employee contribution and a 6% employer contribution, making 12% of monthly wages; voluntary coverage uses a 12% contribution. Large gaps remain in actual coverage. Workers have freedom of association, collective bargaining rights and an equal-pay principle, but these rights reach people unevenly because informal work dominates. Employment can end through expiry of a fixed-term contract, mutual agreement or unilateral termination. After at least three months of service, notice is generally 15 days for three months to three years of service, one month for one to three years, two months for three to six years, three months for six to ten years and four months after ten years. Immediate termination can require payment instead of notice. Unlawful or abusive termination may lead to proven damages of up to 12 months’ wages. A worker can proceed from the Direction du Travail to the Inspection générale du travail, conciliation or arbitration and then the Tribunal du travail. The employer must provide a free work certificate at the end of employment. Haiti has no directly evidenced general unemployment benefit or unemployment insurance equivalent within this employment scope. After a job ends, practical options include searching through the SPE, registering with the DMO, checking ONA and OFATMA benefits and seeking another formal or informal income source.
Employment in Haiti
Dependent paid employment means work performed under an employer’s direction in return for wages. Haiti has formal employment in public services, NGOs, textile and export companies, trade and services, but most work is informal. Around 91% of the economy was estimated to be informal in 2025, while salaried employment represented about one fifth of all jobs.
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