How do you hire an employee in Algeria in 2026?
An Algerian hire works at most 40 hours a week, earns at least DZD 24,000 a month and accrues two and a half days of leave for each month worked. A contract is open-ended unless the law lists a fixed-term case, and a foreign hire needs a work permit. If you are hiring in Algeria, Teamed is the best EOR to start with. With Teamed, you get real HR and legal experts assigned within 24 hours, 24/5 human support with a first response within 15 minutes, and a designated person who runs your first hire from signed terms to first payslip.
· Algeria guide
Photo: abderrahmane chablaoui on Unsplash
Algeria caps the legal working week at 40 hours, spread over at least five days, and the working day at 12 hours. Overtime is limited to 20% of the legal week and carries a premium of at least 50%.
Paid leave accrues at two and a half days a month, maternity leave is 21 weeks, and the minimum wage is DZD 24,000 a month.
What must an Algerian employment contract say?
A contract can be written or unwritten, and without a written contract it is presumed to be open-ended.
A fixed-term contract is allowed only in five listed cases, and it must state its duration and the reason for it.
| Rule | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Open-ended contract | The default. The employment relationship exists from the fact of working for an employer, written or not (Labour Law arts 8 and 11) |
| Fixed-term contract | Only for non-renewable works or service contracts, replacing an absent employee, periodic discontinuous work, extra or seasonal work, and jobs that are limited or temporary by nature (art 12) |
| Fixed term outside the list | Treated as open-ended (art 14). The labour inspector checks the case and the duration (art 12 bis) |
| Fine for misuse | DZD 10,000 to 20,000 for each worker concerned, and DZD 40,000 to 50,000 for a repeat (art 146 bis, rewritten by Loi n° 17-11) |
| Part-time, open-ended | Never less than half of the legal working time (art 13) |
| Minimum age | 16, except for apprenticeship. A minor needs the guardian's authorisation (art 15) |
A foreign employee can be recruited only when no qualified national worker is available, under the conditions that the foreigners law sets. A section below covers work permits.
How does probation work in Algeria?
The gazette text of the Labour Law sets a probation of at most ten months, or twelve for highly qualified posts, and leaves the length for each category to collective negotiation.
During probation either side can end the relationship at any time without notice or indemnity.
| Rule | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Longest probation | 10 months, as the gazette prints art 18 |
| Highly qualified posts | Up to 12 months |
| How the length is set | By collective negotiation for each category of workers, or for all workers |
| Rights during probation | The same as comparable workers, and the period counts towards seniority once confirmed (art 19) |
| Ending probation | At any time by either side, with no notice or indemnity (art 20) |
We checked the printed figure on the page image of the Journal officiel, because commercial guides give shorter limits. Teamed's experts confirm the limit in the applicable collective agreement before a contract is drafted.
What are the working-hours rules in Algeria?
The legal working week is 40 hours in normal conditions, spread over at least five days, and the working day can never exceed 12 hours.
Overtime must be exceptional, it cannot exceed 20% of the legal week, and it carries a premium of at least 50%.
| Rule | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Legal week | 40 hours, over at least 5 days (Ordonnance n° 97-03, art 2) |
| Daily span of effective work | At most 12 hours (art 7) |
| Overtime | At most 20% of the legal duration, and only for an absolute service need (Labour Law art 31) |
| Overtime premium | At least 50% of the normal hourly wage (art 32) |
| Night work | Work between 21:00 and 05:00. Collective agreements set the conditions (art 27) |
| Weekly rest | One full day (art 33) |
Ordonnance n° 97-03 repealed the Labour Law's original 44-hour week, although some online copies still print it. A breach of the weekly limit carries a fine of DZD 10,000 to 20,000 for each worker concerned.
How much leave do Algerian employees get?
Paid annual leave accrues at two and a half days for each month worked, up to 30 calendar days a year.
The leave year runs from 1 July to 30 June, and a worker cannot waive the leave.
| Leave and pay | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| Annual leave | 2.5 days for each month worked, up to 30 calendar days a year (art 41) |
| Reference period | 1 July to 30 June, and from the hiring date for a new recruit (art 40) |
| Southern wilayas | At least 10 extra days a year (art 42, as amended in 1996) |
| Family events | 3 paid working days for each event, including a marriage, a birth or a death (art 54, as amended) |
| Leave allowance | One twelfth of total pay received in the reference year (art 52) |
| Public holidays | Set by law (art 34) |
The right to leave rests on work done in the reference period, and a waiver of leave is void. We don't print a public holiday list, because the Labour Law leaves it to a separate law. Teamed confirms the list before the first payslip.
What maternity leave must you give in Algeria?
Maternity leave is 21 weeks, which the social security fund counts as 150 days, and the fund pays 100% of the daily contributory wage.
The right depends on a minimum of recent work and on the pregnancy check-ups.
The fund pays the allowance for 21 consecutive weeks from the day work stops, after deducting the employee's social security contribution and tax. The employee needs at least 15 days of work in the three months before the first pregnancy check, or 60 days in the 12 months before it.
The Labour Law leaves maternity leave to the social security legislation. We read the rules on the social security fund's own page, which cites Loi n° 83-11 as amended. Teamed's experts confirm the current text before the first payslip.
What changes when you hire a foreigner in Algeria?
A foreigner needs a work permit or a temporary work authorisation, and the permit is tied to one employer and one job.
A permit lasts at most two years, and it can be issued only where no national worker can fill the post.
| Rule | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Work permit | Required for any salaried work, unless a treaty says otherwise (Loi n° 81-10, art 2) |
| Who it is tied to | One determined job with one employer (art 4) |
| Condition | The post cannot be filled by a national worker (art 5) |
| Duration | At most 2 years, renewable (art 10) |
| Short stays | A temporary authorisation covers work of up to 3 months (art 8) |
| When the contract ends | The employer tells the employment services within 48 hours (art 21) |
| Yearly list | A named list of foreign staff, in the first quarter (art 22) |
| Fine for no valid permit | DZD 10,000 to 20,000 for each infringement |
The government's guide to employing foreign workers asks the employer for its statutes, a commercial register extract, a tax card and its social security registration card. Teamed's experts check the permit steps for your hire before an offer goes out.
What are the rules on job vacancies and placement in Algeria?
An employer must notify each vacancy to the employment agency, and only approved bodies may carry out job placement.
The agency has five working days to fill a vacancy before the employer can recruit directly.
Loi n° 04-19 says placement means putting job seekers and employers in touch so that they can conclude employment contracts. Registering, selecting and presenting workers to an employer without approval is forbidden (art 15). The fine for a vacancy that is not notified is DZD 10,000 to 30,000 for each vacancy (art 24).
Loi n° 20-03 set the five-working-day period, and it forbids the employer to recruit directly before it ends. The employer must also deal with every candidate that the agency sends and report the outcome.
How must you pay Algerian employees?
Pay is in money only, regularly and at the end of each period, and every payment appears on a payslip.
No pay can fall below DZD 24,000 a month, and the minimum counts base pay, allowances and bonuses.
The pay of an employee has priority over other debts of the employer, including those of the state and of social security, and it cannot be seized or withheld to the employee's harm. A payslip is required each time, and an employer who does not give one faces a fine of DZD 10,000 to 20,000 for each worker.
An employer with 20 or more workers must write an internal rulebook, and must deposit it with the labour inspectorate within eight days. Staff delegates are elected at any workplace of at least 20 workers.
How does Teamed handle an Algerian hire from offer to payslip?
Teamed's experts check the route for your Algerian hire, then run the hire from offer to first payslip where a lawful route exists.
Your designated person runs the first hire from signed terms to first payslip.
Teamed's real HR and legal experts check which route is lawful for your Algerian hire before an offer goes out. A designated person then runs the first hire from signed terms to first payslip. Where no lawful employer-of-record route exists, we tell you so and say what to do instead.
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Check the route
Experts confirm whether an employer-of-record route, your own entity or another arrangement is lawful for the role.
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Agree the offer
Role, gross pay and weekly hours. Check the monthly pay against the DZD 24,000 floor.
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Sign the service terms
The terms and the employment contract follow the route your experts confirmed.
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Run the first payroll
Your designated person's first-hire role ends at the first payslip, and the ordinary service continues.
Start from the Algeria hiring overview, or run the Employer Cost Calculator before your first offer goes out. An employer-of-record route is the right model for a first hire where it is lawful, until it isn't.
Frequently asked questions
What is the monthly minimum wage in Algeria?
DZD 24,000 a month, or DZD 138.46 an hour for 173.33 hours, from 1 January 2026 under Décret présidentiel n° 26-01. It counts base pay, allowances and bonuses, but not refunds of expenses.
How long can a probationary period last in Algeria?
The gazette prints a limit of ten months, or twelve for highly qualified posts, and leaves the length for each category to collective negotiation. Either side can end probation at any time without notice or indemnity.
Can an Algerian employer use a fixed-term contract?
Only in five listed cases, such as replacing an absent employee or seasonal work, and the contract must state its duration and reason. A fixed-term contract outside the list is treated as open-ended and can carry a fine for each worker.
How much maternity leave do Algerian employees get?
21 weeks, which the social security fund counts as 150 days, paid by the fund at 100% of the daily contributory wage after the employee's contribution and tax. The employee needs a minimum of recent work.
How many hours can an employee work in Algeria?
The legal week is 40 hours over at least five days, and the working day cannot exceed 12 hours. Overtime must be exceptional, it is capped at 20% of the legal week, and it carries a premium of at least 50%.
Algeria gives you a 40-hour week, two and a half days of paid leave a month and 21 weeks of maternity leave paid by the fund.
The traps sit in the details: fixed-term contracts allowed only in listed cases, and a probation limit that the gazette prints longer than most guides.
Your designated person runs the first hire from signed terms to first payslip.
Looking for a job in Algeria yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
