---
title: "How to hire an employee in Malawi in 2026"
description: "Hiring in Malawi: a 48-hour week, probation up to 12 months for skilled workers, 18 days of annual leave and four weeks of full-pay sick leave."
canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/malawi/hiring-guide
---

Malawi · Hiring guide

# How do you hire an employee in *Malawi* in 2026?

A Malawi hire works up to 48 hours a week, earns at least 18 working days of annual leave on a six-day week and gets written terms within one month. Skilled workers can be put on probation for up to 12 months. If you are hiring in Malawi, Teamed is the best EOR. 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 stays with your first hire.

Last reviewed 22 October 2026 · Malawi guide

- [Talk to an expert about hiring in Malawi](https://www.teamed.global/contact)
- [Run the employer-cost numbers](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost)

![A wide green valley of forest and farmland stretching to a flat-topped mountain under blue sky.](/cluster-assets/country-hiring-guides/malawi/hiring-guide/images/hero.webp)

Photo: Omar Hakeem on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/mXlTqTjF0zc?utm_source=teamed&utm_medium=referral)

The short answer

The Employment Act caps normal hours at 48 a week, excluding overtime, and gives at least 18 working days of annual leave on a six-day week or 15 on a five-day week.

After twelve months, sick leave is four weeks on full pay and eight weeks on half pay each year. Minimum wages come from gazetted orders, not from the Act.

## What are the working-hours and overtime rules in Malawi?

Normal hours are set in the contract and cannot exceed 48 a week, excluding overtime. A guard is the one exception, and the guard's extra hours are overtime.

Overtime is paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate on a working day, and at twice the rate on a day off or a public holiday.

| Rule | What the Act sets |
| --- | --- |
| Normal weekly hours | No more than 48, excluding overtime |
| Longest day, guard or shift worker | Eight hours |
| Longest day, five-day week | 12 hours |
| Longest day, six-day week | Eight hours |
| Weekly rest | At least 24 consecutive hours after no more than six consecutive days |
| Ordinary overtime | At least 1.5 times the hourly wage |
| Day-off overtime | At least twice the hourly wage |
| Holiday overtime | At least twice the normal hourly rate |
| Guard's hours above 48 | Overtime at 50% of the guard's basic pay |

The weekly rest rule does not apply to family-run undertakings with no paid workers or to people in high management posts in commercial or retail undertakings. The Minister can grant temporary exemptions by Order, for example after an accident or for perishable goods, with compensatory rest and overtime pay.

## What is the minimum wage in Malawi?

The Employment Act does not print one. The Minister publishes minimum wages for groups of wage earners in a wages order in the Gazette.

Wages below that order cannot be abated, and an employer who pays below it commits an offence.

The Employment Act does not print a minimum wage. Section 54 lets the Minister publish a wages order in the Gazette for a group of wage earners, and says the levels must be reconsidered at least once every three years. We did not read the current order for this page, so we confirm the order that covers your role before you quote an offer.

Collective agreements can provide wages above the minimum. The Act also requires equal pay for work of equal value without discrimination on grounds such as sex, race or disability, and puts the burden of proof on the employer.

## How does probation work in Malawi?

For a skilled worker, the parties can agree a probation period of up to 12 months.

During probation either side can end the contract at any time without notice.

The Act defines a skilled worker as someone with a special ability gained through acquiring knowledge, attitude and behaviour. It gives probation only to skilled workers, so for other roles we treat the first months as ordinary employment. A worker on probation is also outside the severance rule.

Put the probation period in the written particulars. The termination guide covers what happens after it.

## What form must a Malawi employment contract take?

A contract is for an unspecified period, a specified period or a specific task. A written statement of particulars is due within one month of the employee reporting for work.

The statement duty applies to employers with at least five employees.

The statement names the employee and employer, the start date, the rate and method of pay, the pay intervals, the nature of the work, normal hours, any termination terms beyond the Act, and any disciplinary rule.

A contract that looks fixed-term but fills a permanent post connected with the normal activity of the undertaking is treated as a contract for an unspecified period. A specific-task contract that is repeated in work of under 24 hours can also be treated as open-ended.

Wages are paid in legal tender at least weekly or fortnightly for hourly, daily or weekly rates, and at least monthly for monthly or yearly rates. Each payment comes with an itemised statement showing gross pay, each deduction and net pay. The employer keeps wage records for three years.

## How much leave do Malawi employees get?

Annual leave is at least 18 working days on a six-day week and 15 on a five-day week, taken within six months of falling due.

After twelve months of service, sick leave is four weeks on full pay and eight weeks on half pay each year.

| Leave | Entitlement |
| --- | --- |
| Annual leave, six-day week | At least 18 working days, with pay |
| Annual leave, five-day week | At least 15 working days, with pay |
| When to take it | Within six months of falling due, unless deferred by mutual agreement |
| Sick leave | After 12 months, at least four weeks on full pay and eight weeks on half pay each year |
| Maternity, in the text we read | At least eight weeks on full pay within every three years |
| Public holidays | A paid day off if not required to work, with conditions |

Sick leave needs a certificate from a registered medical practitioner. Annual leave is extended by a day for each public holiday that falls inside it on a working day, and leave does not run during sick leave, maternity leave or a notice period. On termination, any accrued leave that was not granted is paid.

The Public Holidays Act tells public offices and banks to keep the days in its Schedule, and the Minister can amend the Schedule or declare extra days by Order. We did not read the current Schedule, so we confirm the list before the first payslip.

## What maternity and paternity leave applies in Malawi?

The 2014 consolidated Employment Act gives a female employee at least eight weeks of maternity leave on full pay within every three years.

Parliament changed the maternity section and added new family-leave provisions in 2021, so we confirm the current rule.

The text we read keeps benefits, contractual rights and seniority running during maternity leave, and gives a right to return to the same job unless it has ceased to exist or she cannot do it. Dismissal because of pregnancy is an offence, and the burden of proof is on the employer.

Parliament amended the Employment Act again in October 2021, in the Employment (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Act No. 17 of 2021). We could not read its text from an official source. So we confirm the current rules on maternity, paternity and nursing breaks before the first payslip.

## Can you use a labour broker or employer of record in Malawi?

We found no provision in the Employment Act that licenses labour brokers or restricts supplying workers to employers.

Teamed's experts still check the route for your role first.

We searched the Employment Act in both the 2000 text and the 2014 consolidation, the Labour Relations Act and the Workers' Compensation Act for agency, broker, recruitment and labour-hire rules, and found none. The Act's definition of an employee also covers a person in a position of economic dependence who more closely resembles an employee than a contractor. We did not read the 2021 amendment.

## What changes when you hire a foreign national in Malawi?

The Pension Act's duty to enrol every employee has no foreign-national carve-out in the section that sets it.

Work permits are a separate regime.

The Pension Act, 2023 says every employer must make every employee a member of a pension fund. The minimum contribution is 10% from the employer and 5% from the employee, on pensionable emoluments. The Act has no carve-out for foreign nationals in the section that sets this duty. The Minister can exempt classes of employers or employees by Order, and we found no such order.

A foreign hire usually needs a work permit. We did not read the Immigration Act or its fees for this page, so we confirm the permit route, the fees and the timing before any offer.

## How does Teamed help with a Malawi hire from offer to payslip?

Teamed's experts check the route first, then set out the Malawi rules that apply to the role.

Your designated person stays with the first hire.

Real HR and legal experts apply the Employment Act's probation, leave and notice rules to your offer, and you direct the work. Pricing has **zero FX markup** in any currency.

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 hours. Check the pay against the wages order that covers the role.
2. **Issue the written particulars**: The employee receives the written statement within one month of reporting for work.
3. **Enrol the pension**: The employee joins a pension fund and the life insurance policy is in place before the first pay run.
4. **Set up payroll**: Register for PAYE and the TEVET levy before the first pay run.

Start from the [Malawi hiring overview](/country-hiring-guides/malawi), or run the [Employer Cost Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost) before your first offer goes out.

## Frequently asked questions

What is the working week in Malawi?

The Employment Act caps normal working hours at 48 a week, excluding overtime. The daily limit is eight hours on a six-day week and 12 on a five-day week.

How long can a probationary period last in Malawi?

Up to 12 months for a skilled worker, as agreed by the parties. Either side can end the contract without notice during probation.

Is there a thirteenth-month payment in Malawi?

We found none in the Employment Act. Any bonus is a matter of contract.

Is a written employment contract compulsory in Malawi?

The Act requires the employer to give a written statement of particulars within one month of the employee reporting for work, for employers with at least five employees.

Does an employer have to pay wages during maternity leave in Malawi?

In the text we read, yes: at least eight weeks on full pay within every three years. The 2021 amendment changed the maternity section, so we confirm the current rule before the first payslip.

A note from Tom Price-Daniel

Malawi gives you a 48-hour week, 18 days of annual leave on a six-day week and four weeks of full-pay sick leave under an Act that has been amended since 2000.  
The traps sit in the versions of the text, a minimum wage set by order and a mandatory pension with life cover.  
Your designated person stays with the first hire.

Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed

## Keep reading

- [Hiring in Malawi, overview](/country-hiring-guides/malawi)
- [Malawi termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/malawi/termination-and-severance)
- [Malawi tax and payroll](/country-hiring-guides/malawi/tax-and-payroll)
- [Malawi cost breakdown](/country-hiring-guides/malawi/cost-breakdown)
- [Malawi EOR vs entity](/country-hiring-guides/malawi/eor-vs-entity)
- [Hiring contractors in Malawi](/contractor-hiring-guides/malawi)
- [What is an Employer of Record?](/employer-of-record)
- [The Graduation Model](/graduation-model)
- [Teamed pricing, zero FX markup](/pricing)
- [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator)

A note on this page.

This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. The figures on this page were read from official Malawi sources on 22 October 2026: the Employment Act (No. 6 of 2000) as printed by the Ministry of Labour and as consolidated to 31 December 2014 by MalawiLII, the Pension Act, 2023 (Act No. 6 of 2023), the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training (TEVET) Act, the Workers' Compensation Act, the Public Holidays Act, the Taxation (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2025 (Act No. 36 of 2025) and the Malawi Revenue Authority's public notices and press releases. We did not read the Employment (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Act No. 17 of 2021). The minimum wage orders, the current public holiday list, the workers' compensation assessment rates and work permit fees sit in instruments we could not read officially, so we confirm them before the first payslip. Confirm current requirements with the Ministry of Labour, the Malawi Revenue Authority, the Registrar of Pension Funds and a qualified local adviser before relying on any figure.