Employment in Nauru

Nauru has no administrative or municipal employment systems separate from the national system. The Naoero Public Service, state-owned enterprises and private companies provide the main forms of paid employment. The public service employs approximately 1,300 people and has a stronger institutional structure than the private sector. In the 2021 labour-force data, the labour-force participation rate was 67%, the employment-to-population ratio was 63.6% and unemployment was 5%. Participation was 76% for men and 58% for women. A 2026 labour-force collection exists, but public results were not located in the available research. Public-service access includes permanent, contract and temporary positions. A vacancy is normally advertised for at least two weeks. A recruitment panel, interview, report and approval stages often take about one week each, giving a local recruitment process a target of approximately four weeks before the start date. The Recruitment and Employment Contract Unit handles relevant employment administration, while the Expatriate Recruitment and Contracts Unit handles foreign-worker recruitment. Public-service appointments are intended to be fair, transparent and based on merit. A written contract is signed by the worker and the Chief Secretary. A foreign worker entering Nauru public employment generally needs a sponsoring public-service body, an employment or consultancy contract, proof of identity, a medical report and a police report for the Public Service Employment Visa. This visa has no fee, permits multiple entry and exit, and normally lasts at least as long as the contract. The sponsoring authority must address accommodation and access to transport, health, welfare and education services. The visa can be cancelled when employment is abandoned, terminated or followed by resignation and departure. Public expatriate recruitment commonly takes six to eight weeks, including about two weeks for visa documents. A Nauruan or a business wholly owned by Nauruans can use a Local Business (Employment) Visa for a foreign worker. It lasts for up to 12 months and can be renewed. The fee is AU$300 for one person or AU$400 for a family. Immigration should be informed when the employment ends. A school-leaver may also enter a six-month School Leavers Internship Programme rather than ordinary permanent employment. Public-service working hours are generally 9:00 to 17:00 with a one-hour meal break. A non-standard schedule requires prior approval. Employees record daily attendance, and an unapproved absence results in no pay. An absence of 14 days without notice is treated as resignation and can lead to a six-month ban on re-employment. Additional reasonable working time can result in extra pay or time off. The public-service Code of Conduct applies, and outside employment requires authorization from the Chief Secretary. Public-service leave includes four weeks of recreation leave per service year, with accumulation limited to three years. A recreation-leave application is normally made at least 14 days in advance, and leave can generally be used after three months of service. Medical leave provides 10 days per year at full salary; a medical certificate is not required for the first three separate days, while later absences require certification. Maternity leave lasts 12 weeks, with full salary for the first four pregnancies and half salary thereafter, subject to six months of eligibility. The employee returns to the same or an equivalent position. After six months of service, paternity leave lasts two weeks, and special leave provides three days per year. The Government payroll pays public-service salaries fortnightly. Salary ranges and allowances are set through the Gazette and can change by position. Under the Nauru Superannuation Scheme (NSS), Nauruan resident employees contribute 5% and employers contribute 10% from 1 February 2026. A small-employer exemption applies where the employer has no more than five employees, annual turnover below AU$10,000 and gross assets below AU$5,000. SuperLife administers the scheme, while the Nauru Revenue Office (NRO) handles compliance. Employment and Services Tax uses the employer or payer Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN); the Gazette 36/21 schedule lists 0% for resident monthly income up to AU$8,400 and 20% above that amount, while the current payroll table requires verification. Private employment has a less unified structure. The Workers (Contracts of Service) Act 1922 remains a legacy framework covering contracts and registration, working time, wages and overtime, termination, complaints and inspection, medical treatment and repatriation. The available research did not locate a current universal private-sector minimum-wage and entitlement table. Contract terms therefore have a central practical role, and Australian Fair Work rules or National Employment Standards do not automatically apply in Nauru. There is no direct modern equivalent of a single employment agency in the official sources reviewed; job access may instead depend on public vacancy notices, direct employer recruitment or informal arrangements. The Workers’ Compensation Act 1956 places liability for work-related injury or death on the employer. The statutory claim framework refers to incapacity of at least four days, prompt notice, notice before a voluntary departure and a claim within six months. Private employers are expected to maintain compulsory full-liability insurance. If no settlement is reached within 14 days, the matter can proceed to the Supreme Court. The available wording is legacy legislation, so current payment amounts and indexation should be checked with the responsible authority or insurer. Public-service employment can end through resignation, expiry of a contract, voluntary retirement, medical retirement, redundancy, misconduct or conviction. A non-probationary resignation normally requires four weeks' notice, while probation normally requires two weeks. Permanent redundancy carries 12 weeks' severance. Termination without cause generally involves four weeks' notice or one month's salary, together with payment for accrued annual and long-service leave where applicable. Misconduct can end employment without notice or pay. Certain public-service decisions can be appealed within 14 days, but the appeal process does not cover termination without cause or termination following conviction.