Employment in Tuvalu

Tuvalu's labour market is small and remote. The 2022 Census recorded 7,288 residents aged 15 and over, a labour force of 3,136, 2,937 employed people and 6.3% unemployment. The labour-force participation rate was 43.0% and the employment-to-population ratio was 40.3%. These figures exclude overseas workers. Public Service employment exists alongside private and sectoral jobs, especially in fisheries, agriculture, tourism and public and private services. Public Service vacancies are generally publicised for applicants aged 14 or older. Applicants usually submit Form P2 and a CV. A vacancy notice may also request a cover letter, signed Form P2, certified testamur or academic transcripts and at least two references. Applicants from outer islands or overseas may initially send a letter, fax or email and provide Form P2 later. The advertisement determines whether documents go by hard copy or to psc@gov.tv and sets the deadline. A contract of service is the agreement under which an employee works for an employer in return for pay. When the employment lasts more than three calendar months, the employer must provide a written contract. It should identify the employer and employee, position, contract type and term, workplace, working hours, wage or salary, allowances, pay period, leave, applicable minimum-wage order or collective agreement and the procedure for resolving disputes. The Secretary of Labour attests the contract and both parties sign it. The employer must explain the terms before signing, and the employee should not sign without understanding them or having access to independent legal, union or Ministry advice. If no valid written copy is executed, the contract is treated as indefinite. A private employment agent needs authorisation from the Secretary of Labour under the applicable regulations. A prospective employee must not pay an agent fee. Conflicts of interest and discrimination in recruitment are prohibited. Recruitment, training, promotion, working conditions and termination must not discriminate on grounds including race, ethnicity, social or economic status, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, family duties, age, health, HIV or AIDS, disability, religion, political opinion or union activity. Employers must provide equal remuneration for work of equal value, and sexual harassment is unlawful. Tuvalu also has labour-mobility pathways. The Department of Labour within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade maintains a work-ready pool. Registration for Australia's Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme is available through the Tuvalu office, generally on Tuesdays from 9:00 to 16:30. Registration should not involve fees or gifts. Employers advance flights and some related costs, which workers repay gradually from wages. Tuvalu is eligible for New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, where placements commonly last seven or nine months within an eleven-month period. Seafaring remains an established pathway: Tuvalu ratified the Maritime Labour Convention in 2012, and a seafarer on a Tuvalu-flagged vessel needs a signed seafarer agreement and a pre-employment medical examination. The minimum age for seafaring employment is 16, while hazardous work is prohibited for anyone under 18. Employers must pay hourly, daily or weekly workers at least every two weeks. Monthly, annual or piece-rate workers must receive pay at least monthly. A wage statement must accompany each pay cycle. Permitted deductions include unauthorised absence, requested meals, advances or overpayments, court-ordered or legally required amounts and deductions authorised in writing by the employee. If an employer does not pay after a demand notice, the notice gives a seven-day deadline. The Minimum Wage Board recommends a minimum wage at least every three years, and the Minister may issue an order. The applicable national minimum-wage rate should be checked against the current order because no current figure is stated here. Normal working time is limited to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. Additional hours must remain reasonable. Employees receive at least 12 consecutive hours of daily rest and 48 consecutive hours of weekly rest. After more than six consecutive hours, the employer must provide a one-hour unpaid meal break plus a 20-minute paid tea break, or two paid ten-minute tea breaks. An employee nursing a child under 12 months receives two one-hour paid breaks per day. Overtime rates follow the regulations, subject to an exception for some annualised salaries. Statutory leave applies to employees other than casual workers, with part-time leave calculated pro rata. Annual leave is at least 12 paid working days after a completed year, with pro-rata entitlement after six months. Sick leave is at least five paid days per year, and compassionate leave can reach three paid days per year. Maternity leave lasts 12 weeks at full pay. Adoption leave lasts 12 weeks at no less than full pay when the child is under three years old, and paternity leave provides 10 paid days at no less than full pay within four months of the birth or adoption. A historical hardship exemption allowed up to 24 months, but it could not extend beyond three years after commencement. Public Service employees may receive more favourable leave under the General Administrative Orders 2016. Annual leave is 24 working days for L10 to L7, 26 days for L6 to L5 and 30 days for L4 and above. A contract officer whose contract says nothing about annual leave receives 20 working days per year. Carry-over can reach two annual entitlements with approval from the Secretary to Government, and Form P9 should be submitted at least two weeks before leave. Employers must identify workplace hazards and eliminate or minimise them through safe procedures, training, protective equipment and health monitoring. Employees must take reasonable care and cooperate with safety measures. A child cannot be employed until the calendar school year in which the child turns 15 has ended. Light work from age 15 is allowed only when it does not harm health or interfere with school and meets prescribed conditions. Hazardous work is prohibited below age 18. Worst forms of child labour and forced labour are offences, and employers must keep a child-employment register. An indefinite contract may be terminated for capacity or conduct, serious misconduct, redundancy or another lawful reason. Capacity or conduct normally requires a warning, reasonable support to improve and notice. Serious misconduct can justify summary dismissal. The default notice period is at least one week. Redundancy requires no comparable redeployment, compliance with any collective agreement and at least four weeks' notice. When the employer arranged relocation, the employer bears repatriation costs. Termination cannot lawfully rely on protected characteristics, illness or injury absence, union status or activity, a complaint or proceeding, or maternity- or paternity-related absence. Final wages, benefits and accrued leave must be paid within 14 days after termination. A workplace dispute should normally be raised and addressed at the workplace first. A worker can apply to the Secretary of Labour for dispute resolution within three months after learning of the dispute. The process can include information gathering and conciliation. A suspected offence can be reported to a labour inspector or the Attorney-General; an inspector may investigate, issue a demand notice or refer the matter for prosecution. Review is generally available within 28 days, and court appeal procedures also exist. The Tuvalu National Provident Fund, or TNPF, is compulsory employment savings. Current TNPF guidance states that the employee contributes 13% of gross wages and the employer contributes 10%, for a combined 23%. Contributions are due by the 15th of the following month. Benefits cover retirement, incapacity, death, housing and emigration. TNPF guidance lists voluntary retirement at age 50 and normal retirement at age 55. Permanent emigration may allow partial or full withdrawal depending on status and documents. Ending employment by itself does not establish an unemployment benefit entitlement, and no universal statutory unemployment benefit has been evidenced.