Employer in Senegal

Senegal has no single authority responsible for every employer matter. The employer role is performed by an employeur, chef d'entreprise or chef d'établissement, while different public and social-protection bodies handle specific duties. The Inspection du Travail et de la Sécurité sociale (ITSS) deals with labour inspections, employment notifications, workplace disputes and worker representation. The Direction générale du Travail et de la Sécurité sociale (DGTSS) coordinates national labour administration, and regional labour directorates handle local matters. The Caisse de sécurité sociale (CSS) covers work accidents, occupational diseases and family benefits. The Institution de prévoyance retraite du Sénégal (IPRES) administers old-age protection. An Institution de prévoyance maladie (IPM) provides health coverage for employees and their families. A formal employer normally obtains a NINEA, a Numéro CSS, a Numéro IPRES and, where applicable, the unique IPRES-CSS number. The employer must notify the ITSS before opening an établissement or chantier and report a closure, transfer, change of purpose or other relevant change. When an employee starts or leaves, the employer reports the employee's identity, nationality, occupation, contract type, classification, activity and medical certificate to the ITSS. Contract registration was documented as digital through IRTSS Dakar in 2024; physical procedures remained documented in the other regions. Each establishment keeps an employer register in three parts: personal and contract information, work, pay and leave information, and ITSS remarks. The register must remain current and be retained for five years. An inspector may enter without prior notice and request the register immediately. Employers with fewer than 50 workers submit an annual Déclaration annuelle de la situation de la main-d'œuvre (DASMO). Employers with at least 50 workers prepare an annual Bilan social, a structured report on the workforce and employment situation, by 30 May of the following year. The employer documents employment terms and provides a payslip at every payment together with a payment register. Pay components, allowances and compensation should appear separately. The legal standard working time is 40 hours per week, with overtime premiums where applicable. Under the Convention collective nationale interprofessionnelle (CCNI) 2019, paid leave generally accrues at two working days per month of service, while sector rules and collective agreements may set more specific conditions. Minimum pay and job classifications depend on the relevant sector and collective convention. The employer withholds required employee contributions and pays them to the relevant bodies. Employer costs include wages, employer contributions, paid leave, payroll administration, workplace safety, protective measures and training. Contribution rates and assessment ceilings depend on the institution and sector, so no single national flat amount applies to every employer. The CCNI sets written probation limits of up to eight days for hourly or daily workers, one month for ouvriers and employés, two months for supervisory staff and technicians, and three months for engineers and managers. A probation period may be renewed once when the required conditions and deadlines are met. Employers must apply equal treatment and non-discrimination in recruitment, training, duties, working conditions, pay, benefits, promotion and termination. Maternity protection suspends work for 14 weeks, and the employer may not require the employee to work or dismiss the employee during that protected period. A chef d'établissement adopts the internal rules of the establishment. These rules may address technical work organisation, discipline, hygiene and safety. Where personnel delegates exist, the employer submits the rules to them and to the ITSS before they take effect. Employers can organise written channels for individual or collective expression and negotiate company or establishment agreements with personnel delegates and representative trade unions. The employer organises occupational safety through a workplace safety service and a Comité d'hygiène et de sécurité (CHST). The safety service may be internal, shared between companies or external. Occupational medicine must be available to all employees through an internal or inter-company service. Prevention includes identifying and assessing risks, addressing them at their source, adapting work to people, considering technical developments, giving collective protection priority over individual protection, and providing information and training. Workplace conditions should be measured and assessed regularly. An establishment with more than 10 employees, effectively at least 11, must have personnel delegates. Elections are secret, the mandate lasts three years and re-election is possible. The employer sends the election record to the ITSS within eight days. Delegates can raise complaints and advise on work organisation, productivity, hygiene, safety, internal rules, reorganisation and dismissals. Dismissing a personnel delegate requires prior authorisation from the labour inspector. For an individual labour dispute, the employer or employee submits a written request to the ITSS. The ITSS summons the parties and records the conciliation result. A conciliation record with an enforcement formula can be enforced through the Labour Court. If conciliation fails, the non-conciliation record allows the matter to proceed to the Labour Court. Collective disputes go immediately to the competent ITSS, or to the DGTSS when they cross regional boundaries. A substantial contractual change caused by physical incapacity, economic circumstances or reorganisation requires a written proposal. The employee receives a period equivalent to the notice period to accept or reject it. Rejection can trigger an employer-initiated termination procedure. During a temporary business interruption, chômage technique may be used after consultation with personnel delegates. In an economic termination caused by reduced activity or reorganisation, the employer should first examine reduced hours, rotation, chômage partiel or chômage technique, training and redeployment. If termination follows, selection considers professional suitability, seniority and family responsibilities. The employer owes one month's gross pay as a special compensation in addition to notice and termination compensation, and the dismissed employee has a two-year priority for re-employment. A personnel delegate requires special ITSS authorisation for termination. In 2024, ITSS records showed 1,928 opened or reopened establishments and 10,386 new jobs, alongside 155 closed establishments and 880 lost jobs. These figures come from the ITSS notification system and do not represent the entire economy. When an establishment changes structure, the employer should coordinate notifications, personnel registers, DASMO or Bilan social, consultation with representatives and social-protection reporting. Senegal's employment is largely informal, so the formal employer pathway is established but often less accessible to informal micro-units, where registration and social-protection coverage are limited.