How do you hire an employee in Gabon in 2026?

The Code does not print the overtime premium. It leaves the rate to regulations and to collective agreements, so we confirm the rate for the sector before we quote a cost. Overtime needs a notice to the staff delegates and information to the labour inspector.

Night-work rates sit in sector agreements. Before night hours start, the employer must consult the workers' representatives.

The cap counts days actually worked. A worker kept on after probation without a new contract is treated as permanent from the first day of the trial. Unused paid leave is still due when probation ends early.

If a worker was recruited away from the workplace, the employer pays the return journey when either side ends probation.

A fixed-term contract must be in writing and state its purpose. If it runs past 2 years, or carries on after its term, it becomes permanent. It ends at its term with no end-of-contract indemnity, but paid-leave pay is still due.

The Code also recognises task contracts, seasonal contracts, part-time and intermittent contracts, and temporary-agency missions. A contract can be oral, but a certificate of medical fitness is required, and a written contract needs no stamp duty.

The 24 days a year is our arithmetic from the monthly rate. Working days are every day except Sundays and public holidays. Leave pay is at least the worker's average pay over the 12 months before leave. Public holidays are fixed by decree, and we confirm the calendar for the year.

She must declare the pregnancy in the first three months. The leave extends by 3 weeks for an illness resulting from pregnancy or childbirth, and by 3 weeks after the birth in multiple births. The CNSS pays her daily maternity allowance once she stops work.

An employer cannot dismiss a woman for pregnancy or childbirth. Dismissal while she is pregnant, or within 15 months after the birth, needs the labour inspector's prior authorisation. Breaks for nursing last 12 months from her return, at 2 hours a day for six months and then 1 hour a day.

Nationals get priority at equal skills, and the Code allows foreign staff only for skills the local market cannot supply. The minister can grant exceptions to the quotas for high-technology work if a Gabonese counterpart is trained alongside, and renewal depends on that training plan being carried out.

Employing a foreigner without authorisation carries a fine of XAF 1,000,000 to 2,000,000, with 2 to 6 months in prison or either penalty. After a job ends, the employer must tell the labour inspector and immigration within 8 days.

Real HR and legal experts apply the Labour Code's hours, probation, leave and contract rules to your offer, and you direct the work. There is no setup fee and no exit fee.

Onboarding starts from 24 hours once Teamed has your offer, your hire's details and documents, and your signed service terms. Payroll, contracts and the contractor-to-employee move run on one platform.

1. Agree the offer

   Role, gross pay and contracted hours. Check the monthly pay against the XAF 150,000 minimum income.

2. Sign the service terms

   Teamed employs your hire and issues the Gabon employment contract, with the probation period set by job category.

3. Register the hire

   Teamed registers the employee with the CNSS and the CNAMGS, and applies for an employment authorisation where the hire is not Gabonese.

4. Run the first payroll

   Your designated person's first-hire role ends at the first payslip, and the ordinary service continues.

Start from the Gabon hiring overview, or run the Employer Cost Calculator before your first offer goes out. EOR is the right model for a first Gabon hire, until it isn't.