Employment in Mauritania

Formal employment in Mauritania exists alongside a highly fragmented labour market. A World Bank report published in 2025 cites more than 90% informal employment using a 2017 reference year, so the figure is a context indicator rather than a current full census. Informal work may provide faster access to income but often lacks a secure contract, CNSS registration and reliable proof of employment. A cited female labour-force participation indicator is 26% in the same 2025 reporting context. Agence TECHGHIL, reorganized from ANAPEJ by Decree 024/2021, provides job matching, counselling, qualification and insertion services. Its portal allows a jobseeker to create a profile using an NNI, search by sector, location and contract type, and enter the national jobseeker register. Direct applications to companies and informal referrals also matter because no single channel covers the whole labour market. Public-sector recruitment follows a separate platform and a separate statutory track; public employment should not be treated as private employment under the general Labour Code. A private employment relationship exists when a worker performs work under an employer's direction in return for payment. An individual contract can be written or oral, express or implied, but a worker should secure written proof of the job, pay, duration and duties. Individual contracts are permitted, while a collective team contract is prohibited. Common forms include a CDI, an indefinite-term contract; a CDD, a fixed-term contract; and a project-based contract. A CDD lasting more than three months or requiring a change of residence must be written, medically examined and approved by the competent Inspection du travail. The maximum CDD duration is two years including renewals, with no more than two successive CDDs or one renewal. Special rules apply to foreign workers who usually live outside Mauritania, whose contract duration is set by Council decree under the current Code 2024-048. An engagement à l’essai is a written probationary arrangement. It may last up to six months including renewal, or up to twelve months for a cadre or a worker whose ordinary residence is outside Mauritania. More favourable collective or regulatory rules may apply. During a valid probationary period, either side can generally end the arrangement without notice or compensation, subject to protection against abuse. If the required written form is missing, successful completion of the trial period can result in a definitive CDD or CDI. The SMIG is Mauritania's binding minimum-wage protection. The Ministry links Decree No. 2026-064 of 23 April 2026, but the current MRU amount should be checked in the official text before relying on a figure; an older 2023 amount should not be treated as current. Wages are paid in MRU. Payment normally occurs at least every fifteen days for hourly or daily workers and at least monthly for monthly workers. Benefits in kind and other salary components generally count toward pay, while overtime premiums and expense reimbursements are excluded from that calculation. For non-agricultural work, statutory working time is generally limited to 40 hours per week and 8 hours per day. Agricultural work has a limit of 2,400 effective hours per year. Overtime attracts an additional payment. Workers generally receive at least 24 hours of weekly rest, with Friday as the basic Code day and possible exceptions or rotations. Paid leave is at least 1.5 working days per month from age 18, 2 days per month below age 18 and 3 days per month for workers ordinarily resident outside Mauritania. Seniority supplements begin after ten years of service. CNSS is Mauritania's social-security institution for pensions, family benefits and work accidents. Coverage under the Labour Code generally includes employees, seafarers, domestic workers, temporary and occasional workers, apprentices and civil servants who lack another form of protection. The employer should register within eight days after the first employment. The official contribution information states 13% employer CNSS, 1% employee contribution and 2% employer contribution for ONMT, subject to the applicable assessment base and ceiling; the employer declares and pays the combined amount, including the employee share, quarterly. ONMT provides the occupational-medicine function. CNAM provides health insurance for private employees, with stated contributions of 4% for the employee and 5% for the employer. CNAM processing is listed at approximately 14 working days, so the worker should check that affiliation follows the start of employment. The Inspection du travail can monitor employment conditions, health and safety, occupational medicine and social-security compliance. An employment relationship may be suspended during a work accident or occupational disease, maternity, approved absence or a lawful strike. Certified illness outside work can suspend the relationship for up to six months under the relevant conditions, with 50% of contractual benefits during that period. The Labour Code protects maternity and provides protection for worker representatives and lawful trade-union or strike activity. Termination generally requires written notice stating the reason and observing the applicable notice period. Serious misconduct can remove the notice requirement. The 1974 collective agreement lists 15 days for manual categories 1 and 2, one month for workers, employees and middle-level managers, and three months for engineers and executives. Failure to give the required notice can create a compensation claim, and dismissal during leave can double the compensation. Severance is calculated under the Code and collective agreement using the average total monthly pay of the previous twelve months. Economic dismissal requires information to worker representatives, a fifteen-day response period, notification to the Inspection du travail and consideration of alternatives. Rehire priority lasts one year, with a possible second year under a new trial period. At the end of employment, the worker should obtain final wages, accrued entitlements and documents proving the employment relationship. An individual employment dispute first requires a written conciliation request to the Inspection du travail before the Tribunal du travail. A summons should be issued within one day and the hearing set at least eight days later. A settlement record can be enforced; if conciliation fails, the dispute may proceed to the labour court. Collective disputes follow conciliation by the Inspection, then mediation and, where applicable, arbitration. Foreign workers need an employer-led application through ROKHSA and DGE, including employer and security-register details, identity, position, qualifications and a reason why no suitable Mauritanian worker was available. The practical dossier commonly includes a work certificate, CV, photograph, diploma copy, valid passport and contract copy. The work permit is listed as free and valid for 30 days, while a contract visa is handled by the Inspection du travail within 15 days or by the Direction Générale du Travail within one month, also free of charge.