Basic Facts

The Republic of Liberia is a country in Western Africa. It is bounded to the northwest by Sierra Leone, to the north by Guinea, to the east by Ivory Coast, and the south and southwest by the Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area of 111,369 km2. The official language is English, but more than 20 indigenous languages are spoken, reflecting the country’s ethnic and cultural diversity.

 

*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Liberia.

Capital :
Monrovia
Currency :
Liberian Dollar (L$, LRD)
Languages spoken :
English
Population :
5.30 million (2022 est.)
Minimum wage 2023 :
LRD 15 per hour
Cost of Living index :
N/A
Payroll Frequency :
Monthly
VAT - standard rate :
10%
GDP - real growth rate :
4% (2021 est.)

Statutory Holidays

The holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2024.

Date
Holiday Name
Extra Information
January 1
New Year’s Day
February 11 & 12
Armed Forces Day
March 13
Decoration Day
March 15
J.J. Roberts' Birthday
April 14
Fast and Prayer Day
Movable
May 14
National Unification Day
July 26
Independence Day
August 24
Flag Day
November 7
National Thanksgiving Day
November 29
William Tubman’s Birthday
December 25
Christmas Day

Contract Sharing Time


The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Liberia is 14 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.

NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.

 

What You Need To Know


  • Employer contributes 2% to accident insurance.
  • Formal sector employees’ health insurance is covered by either the employment injury scheme, which is a part of the government-run social security scheme, or medical insurance coverage from private health insurers or employer-managed health facilities.

Labor Conditions


Working Hours

Ordinary hours of work should be eight hours on any one day or 48 hours in any one week. An employee who works fewer than eight hours on one or more working days of the week may be required to work more than eight hours on the remaining working days of the week, provided that:  

  • In no case should the daily limit of eight hours be exceeded by more than four hours;  
  • Nor should the weekly limit of 48 hours be exceeded.
Overtime

An employer may require an employee to work a maximum of five hours beyond ordinary hours of work in any week. And all work in excess of ordinary hours should be paid at a rate not less than 50% above the normal rate for that work. 

Probation Period

A contract of employment may require that an employee serve a probationary period, provided that it should not be more than three months.

 

Termination Notice Period

An employer should give an employee who has completed any period of probation a reasonable period of notice of termination of the employee’s employment. Without limiting the scope of the preceding provision, for these purposes, the periods of notice set out in the following table are taken to be reasonable:  

Period of Employee’s Continuous Service           Minimum Number of Week’s Notice
Less than 3 months       1 week  
More than 3 months but less than 6 months 2 weeks  
More than 6 months but less than 1 year   3 weeks  
More than 1 year      4 weeks  

An employer should give an employee notice of termination of employment in writing, which specifies the last day of the employee’s employment. The notice period should begin on the first day of the pay period following the one in which the notice was served. 

Leave / Time Off

Annual Leave

Every employee is entitled to a minimum uninterrupted period of annual leave as follows:  

  • During the first 12 months of continuous service with an employer, the number of working days in one week 
  • During the first 24 months of continuous service with an employer, the number of working days in two weeks; 
  • For continuous service of 36 months, the number of working days in three weeks;
  • For continuous service with the same employer for 60 months and thereafter, the number of working days in four weeks.

Sick Leave

Every employee is entitled to 10 days of paid sick leave for every year of continuous service with their employer. On any day that an employee is on paid sick leave, the employee is entitled to receive the ordinary remuneration they would have received had they worked on that day. 

Wherever possible, an employee who claims a day of paid sick leave from their employer should provide the employer with a certificate from a medical professional.

Parental Leave

There is no parental leave in Liberia.

 

Maternity Leave

An employed woman is entitled, on each occasion that she is pregnant, to a minimum of 14 weeks of maternity leave.  An employed woman who takes maternity leave should take a minimum of six weeks of leave after the date of confinement.

An employed woman is entitled to receive from her employer the remuneration she would otherwise receive for her ordinary hours of work during any period of maternity leave.

 

Paternity Leave

The employed father of a child is entitled to five days’ leave without pay at the time of the child’s birth, provided that this leave:   

  • May not be taken before the mother’s confinement;
  • Should be taken within the first month after the birth of the child, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Other Types of Paid Leave

Bereavement Leave

Every employee is entitled to take paid leave if a member of their immediate family dies. An employee may take up to five days of leave under this section in any year of service with their employer.

Leave to Provide Care

Every employee is entitled to five days’ paid leave during each year of service with their employer, to provide care or support to a member of the employee’s immediate family who requires care or support because of:

  • A personal illness, or personal injury, affecting a member of the employee’s immediate family;  
  • An emergency affects the member of the employee’s immediate family.

Unpaid Leave

There is no statutory unpaid leave in Liberia.

Statutory Benefits

The Employee Social Security deductions are detailed as follows:

Benefits Employer Contributions Employee Contributions
National Pension Scheme (NPS) 4% 4%
Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) 2%
Total 6% 4%

 

National Pension Scheme covers:

  • Retirement Pension Benefit;
  • Invalidity Pension Benefit;
  • Survivor’s Lump Sum;
  • Retirement Grant;
  • Invalidity Grant;
  • Survivor’s Grant.

Employment Injury Scheme covers:

  • Medical Benefit;
  • Temporary Disablement Benefit;
  • Permanent Disablement Benefit;
  • Constant Attendance Allowance;
  • Death Benefit;
  • Funeral Grant.

Health Insurance

Formal sector employees are covered by either the employment injury scheme, which is a part of the government-run social security scheme, or medical insurance coverage from private health insurers or employer-managed health facilities. The employment injury scheme is part of the government’s social security benefits managed by the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) for public and private formal sector employees.

Other Types of Insurance

Accident Insurance

Employer contributes 2% to the Employment Injury Scheme, which covers accident insurance. The employee must be assessed with a work injury or occupational disease. Accidents that occur while commuting to and from work are also covered. Benefits include reasonable expenses for medical and surgical care, hospitalization, medicine, and appliances.

Unemployment Insurance

There is no mandatory unemployment insurance in Liberia.

Public Pension

Both employee and employer contribute 4% to the National Pension Scheme.

Employees must have reached the age of 60 and have made at least 144 months of contributions (100 months if born before 1980). Pensions can be postponed until the age of 65.

Other Statutory Benefits

There are no other statutory benefits in Liberia.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.

Information provided in this Country Guide is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. WorkMotion Software GmbH periodically adds, changes, improves, updates, or removes information without notice, and assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the contents of this Country Guide. This Country Guide may contain links to other websites. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for the privacy practices or the content of such websites.