Labor law in Mongolia

Mongolia’s revised Labour Law is the main framework for dependent employment and also applies when work is performed in Mongolia or the parties mutually submit to Mongolian law. The system works together with occupational-safety, minimum-wage and social-insurance legislation. The English version of the Labour Law is unofficial; the Mongolian original is the authoritative text for binding interpretation. Civil-service rules apply separately and the Labour Law supplements them where relevant. The legal order generally places the Labour Law above other laws, administrative acts, sectoral or inter-sectoral collective bargaining, collective agreements, employment contracts and internal labor regulations. A lower-level rule cannot lawfully remove a statutory protection, and conflicting terms are assessed using the rule more favorable to the employee. The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection, the National Tripartite Committee, local labor organizations, soum and khoroo labor officers, state labor inspectors, trade unions, the National Human Rights Commission and labor-dispute bodies or courts each have different roles. An employment relationship normally begins when the employee actually starts work. The employer and employee should sign a written contract and give the employee a copy. The contract states the job and duties, workplace, salary and working conditions. If a valid reason prevents signing at the start, the employer must complete the written contract within 10 business days. An indefinite contract is the normal form. A fixed-term contract is limited to specified situations such as apprenticeships, probation, seasonal work, replacement work, temporary workplaces or time-limited or fund-limited tasks. Part-time work may not exceed 32 hours per week. Home-based and remote work are permitted and retain the same legal rights. Contracts between citizens as employers and employees also specify the work and rest schedule, payroll dates and location. Local labor organizations or a soum governor’s office may provide guidance or registration support. Assistant herders and household cleaners should receive written contracts, normal living conditions, a violence- and harassment-free environment, more than 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest and access to voluntary social insurance. For an assistant herder, non-cash remuneration may not exceed 30 percent of pay. Ordinary working time may not exceed 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day. The absolute weekly maximum is 56 hours, and overtime may not exceed 4 hours per day. Employers keep time records. Employees normally receive at least 12 hours of daily rest, a lunch break of at least 1 hour that is normally unpaid, and Saturday and Sunday as rest days or two other consecutive rest days. Night work runs from 22:00 to 06:00. Employers give at least 48 hours’ notice of a shift, and a normal shift may not exceed 8 hours. On-call work requires at least 24 hours’ notice, is limited to 8 hours per month and carries an allowance of at least 50 percent when performed at an employer-designated location or 30 percent elsewhere. Mining and extraction rosters may allow up to 12 hours per day with 14 consecutive working days followed by 14 rest days. The employer pays the travel costs connected with that roster. Overtime is allowed only for statutory emergencies or essential grounds. A pregnant employee or a parent of a child under 3 may work overtime only with consent. A minor may not work overtime, at night or under a mining roster. Overtime on weekly rest days or public holidays is paid at least 1.5 times the average salary, night work at least 1.2 times and public-holiday work at least twice the salary unless compensatory rest is provided. Annual leave becomes available after 6 months of work. The basic entitlement is 15 working days; employees under 18 and employees with disabilities receive 20 days. Additional days depend on service length and whether the work has nonstandard conditions. Under normal conditions, the additions after 6, 11, 16, 21, 26 and 32 years are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 14 days. Under nonstandard conditions, they are 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 and 18 days. One continuous part of annual leave must last at least 10 business days. Leave pay uses average salary. When urgent work prevents leave, compensation is at least 1.5 times the relevant amount. Maternity leave lasts 120 days, or 140 days for twins. A father receives at least 10 paid days of leave after a newborn’s birth. Child-care leave may continue until the child reaches age 3. Breastfeeding or child-care breaks last 2 hours per working day for a child under 6 months or for twins, and 1 hour for a child aged 6 to 12 months or a child requiring special care. An employer may send a pregnant employee or a parent of a child under 3 on a business trip only with consent. Equal pay applies to work of equal value. Employers calculate pay transparently, pay at least twice a month on fixed dates and disclose the payroll breakdown and withholdings. The statutory minimum for ordinary unskilled work is currently 792,000 MNT per month, corresponding to 4,715 MNT per hour, based on the latest fully verified official rate effective April 1, 2025. A Ministry headline published on August 17, 2026 announced a proposed increase to 1,000,000 MNT, but the operative act and effective date were not verified, so the binding rate should be checked before relying on that figure. Sectoral rules may set a higher minimum. Employers provide a safe and hygienic workplace, prevent risks, provide occupational-safety training and pay for required medical checks and personal protective equipment. Employees have the right to receive risk information, suspend unsafe work and notify the employer. Occupational-safety rules also cover self-employed workers, citizen contracts, interns, cooperative members and foreign or stateless workers, although the practical scope of protection can vary with status and documentation. Separate social-insurance rules govern industrial accidents and occupational diseases. Where an accident causes at least 30 percent loss of work capacity, a pension may apply. Applications generally follow within 14 days after the loss is determined; social-insurance decisions can take up to 20 days for a pension, 14 days for temporary-loss benefits and 24 hours for a deceased employee’s family benefit. Employers with at least 25 employees must employ persons with disabilities at a quota of 4 percent. An employer that does not fill the required positions pays the applicable monthly minimum-wage amount for each missing position to the Disability Employment Promotion Fund. Employment discrimination is prohibited on grounds including nationality, language, race, age, sex, social or marital status, wealth, religion, ideology, political views, union membership, health, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability and appearance. Forced labor, pressure, violence, sexual harassment, child labor and requiring an employee to deposit original documents are prohibited. Employment below age 15 is prohibited. A child aged 13 to 15 may perform only uncomplicated, safe work with legal-representative consent and without harm to education or health. Employees under 18 may work no more than 30 hours per week. An employer generally may not dismiss a pregnant employee or a parent of a child under 3 on the employer’s initiative, subject to specified serious grounds and liquidation rules. Employees may form or join trade unions, assemble and bargain collectively without employer permission. Where no union represents employees, all employees may elect a representative. Collective agreements can improve statutory minimums, but contrary terms are void. Collective-agreement negotiations must begin within 10 business days and collective bargaining within 15 business days. A lawful strike follows bargaining, mediation and arbitration, requires a great-majority vote and normally requires at least 5 business days’ written notice. Essential public services may restrict strikes. Employers may not dismiss or discipline employees for a lawful strike. An interest dispute normally proceeds through agreement, a labor intermediary and labor arbitration. The employer’s response to an intermediary proposal is due within 3 business days. Mediation lasts 5 business days and may be extended once for up to 5 more days. Arbitration uses three arbitrators, forms within 3 business days and decides within 10 business days, with a possible extension of up to 5 business days. Strikes and lockouts are prohibited during mediation or arbitration. A rights dispute may go to an employer-level commission or a soum or district tripartite committee. Challenges involving termination, expiry, transfer or roster changes generally have a 30-day deadline; other labor-rights disputes generally have a 90-day deadline. Courts handle matters such as compensation for health damage and unlawful termination, expiry, transfer or roster decisions. An employee may terminate employment by written notice given 30 days in advance, unless the parties agree on an earlier date. Employer termination grounds include liquidation or redundancy, insufficient qualification or performance after a warning and reasonable improvement period, medically established incapacity without suitable transfer, repeated or serious disciplinary violations, loss of trust and forged credentials. In a mass layoff, notice and negotiation requirements apply, and termination occurs at least 30 days after notice. Statutory severance is at least one month of base salary after 6 to 24 months of service, two months after 2 to 5 years, three months after 5 to 10 years and four months after 10 or more years, unless a higher amount follows from law or a collective term. On request, the employer provides a reference letter within 5 business days. State labor inspectors may enter workplaces without advance notice, copy documents, interview people, order corrective action, require compensation measures and shut down work that threatens life or health. Employees and unions may complain, and the complainant’s identity can be kept confidential. A practical record should include the contract, pay statements, time records, leave requests, warnings, dismissal notice, workplace messages and medical or safety documents. These records help distinguish a pay, working-time, safety, discrimination, representation or termination dispute and preserve the relevant legal deadline.