Hire in Malawi

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Tanzania to the north, Lake Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the east and south, and Zambia to the west. The country has a total land area of 118,480 square kilometers. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, employing nearly 80% of the population.

 

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

Onboard your talent in Malawi

in 10 minutes

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Fast-track your talent onboarding while ensuring 100% compliance with local regulations.

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Guidance & payroll management

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Hire in Malawi through an

EOR

Easily onboard your remote talent in Malawi through our Employer of Record (EOR) solution. Our subsidiaries and network partners make this process fast and 100% compliant.

A quick overview of Malawi

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Cost of living index

$$

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Currency

Malawian Kwacha (MWK, MK)

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Payroll frequency

Monthly

Basic facts

Malawi is a landlocked country in southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Tanzania to the north, Lake Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the east and south, and Zambia to the west. The country has a total land area of 118,480 square kilometers. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, employing nearly 80% of the population.

 

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

Capital

Lilongwe

Official language/s

English, Chichewa, Chinyanja, Chiyao, and Chitumbuka

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Population

19.65 million (2023 est.)

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VAT - standard rate

16.5%

The holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2025.

 

January 1New Year's Day
January 15John Chilembwe Day
March 3Martyrs' Day
March 30 - 31Eid al-FitrMovable
April 18Good FridayMovable
April 21Easter MondayMovable
May 1Labor Day
May 14President Kamuzu Banda's Birthday
July 6 - 7Independence Day
October 15Mother's DayMovable
December 25Christmas Day
December 26Boxing Day

The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Malawi 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.

  • Termination of employment without a valid reason based on misconduct, incapacity or operational requirements is deemed unfair.
  • Severance pay is only given in cases of employment termination based on redundancy or operational requirements of the employer and unfair dismissal.
  • The notice period for indefinite employment termination is based on the payroll cycle.

Under the National Pension Scheme (NPS), the employer contributes 10% of the employee’s pensionable emoluments. Contributions by the employer are tax deductible up to a maximum of 15% of the employee’s pensionable emoluments while those made by the employee are not.

Benefit Employer Contribution Rate
National Pension Scheme 10%

Working Hours

An employee’s normal working hours should be set out in the employment contract provided that no employer may require or permit any employee to work more than 48 hours during any week, excluding overtime.

 

Overtime

There are three classes of overtime known respectively as ordinary overtime, day off overtime, and holiday overtime.

 

Overtime Class Overtime Pay
Ordinary overtime Hourly rate of not less than one and one-half the wage for one hour.
Day off overtime Hourly rate of not less than twice the wage per hour.
Holiday Overtime not less than twice the normal hourly rate
Probation Period

The parties may agree on the duration of the probationary period provided that the period does not, in any event, exceed 12 months.

Termination Notice Period

In indefinite employment, the contract termination notice depends on the wage period as presented below:

Wage Period Notice
Workers paid wages on a monthly rate. 1 month notice
Workers Paid fortnightly
  • 5 days for workers with less than 5 years of service
  • 30-day notice for workers with at least 5 years of service
Workers paid on a weekly basis
  • 1 week notice for workers with less than 2 years of service
  • 2 weeks notice for workers with 2 to 5 years of service
  • 1 month notice for those with at least 5 years of service
Daily/Hourly rate
  • 1 day notice for employees with less than 6 months of service
  • 1 week notice for those with no less than 6 months but less than 2 years
  • 2 weeks notice for employees continuously employed for a period of not less than 2 years but less than 5 years

 

Working Hours

An employee’s normal working hours should be set out in the employment contract provided that no employer may require or permit any employee to work more than 48 hours during any week, excluding overtime.

 

Overtime

There are three classes of overtime known respectively as ordinary overtime, day off overtime, and holiday overtime.

 

Overtime Class Overtime Pay
Ordinary overtime Hourly rate of not less than one and one-half the wage for one hour.
Day off overtime Hourly rate of not less than twice the wage per hour.
Holiday Overtime not less than twice the normal hourly rate
Probation Period

The parties may agree on the duration of the probationary period provided that the period does not, in any event, exceed 12 months.

Termination Notice Period

In indefinite employment, the contract termination notice depends on the wage period as presented below:

Wage Period Notice
Workers paid wages on a monthly rate. 1 month notice
Workers Paid fortnightly
  • 5 days for workers with less than 5 years of service
  • 30-day notice for workers with at least 5 years of service
Workers paid on a weekly basis
  • 1 week notice for workers with less than 2 years of service
  • 2 weeks notice for workers with 2 to 5 years of service
  • 1 month notice for those with at least 5 years of service
Daily/Hourly rate
  • 1 day notice for employees with less than 6 months of service
  • 1 week notice for those with no less than 6 months but less than 2 years
  • 2 weeks notice for employees continuously employed for a period of not less than 2 years but less than 5 years

 

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Under the National Pension Scheme (NPS), the employer contributes 10% of the employee’s pensionable emoluments. Contributions by the employer are tax deductible up to a maximum of 15% of the employee’s pensionable emoluments while those made by the employee are not.

Benefit Employer Contribution Rate
National Pension Scheme 10%