Talent Wiki - Afghanistan

Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Afghanistan

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Capital

Kabul

Currency

Afghan Afghani

Languages

Pashto, Persian

Payroll Frequency

Weekly, Semi-monthly and Monthly

GDP per Capita

$575

Employer Tax

Supplementary Guide for Employment and Expansion in Afghanistan

Talent Overview

Afghanistan has a nominal GDP of $21.7 billion and has a GDP per capita of $2024 on the basis of purchasing power parity. Agriculture and mining are significant sources of income for most of the people of Afghanistan.

Major economic hubs:

Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Jalalabad (major cities)

Skills in demand :

Construction skills, Agriculture skills

Local Universities

The top universities in Afghanistan are as follows:

Kabul University

RANKING

Afghanistan : 1

World : 6551

Kandahar University

RANKING

Afghanistan : 2

World : 6749

Herat University

RANKING

Afghanistan : 3

World : 6946

Bamyan University

RANKING

Afghanistan : 4

World : 7180

Kateb University

RANKING

Afghanistan : 5

World : 7382

Salary Data

Some of the top jobs and their corresponding monthly salaries are as follows:

Job Title	Salary in local currency (Afghan Afghani)	Salary in USD
Financial Analyst	99,700	1,161.89
Administrative Assistant	41,100	478.97
Business Project Manager	89,200	1,039.53
Human Resource Officer	49,000	570.01
Network Engineer	73,200	851.50

Talent Sourcing Tips

Top Local Job Boards:

Acbar, JobsAf, AfghanJobs

Number of LinkedIn users:

426,300

Top Recruitment Agencies:

Talent International Recruitment, FSI, MRC

Employing in Afghanistan

Afghanistan offers excellent potential for employers as it helps establish low-cost branches to gain access to its market. Learn more about the employment laws and regulations in Afghanistan below.

Employee Contract

Pashto and Dari are the common languages in use. Dari was previously used for government communications. Now with the Taliban in power, Pashto is promoted for official usage.

Probation Period

The probationary period for employees in Afghanistan is up to three months.

Public and Provincial Holidays

Date	Name	Type
Date	Name	Type
15 Feb	Liberation Day	Public Holiday
2 Apr	First Day of Ramadan	Public Holiday
28 Apr	Afghan Victory Day	Public Holiday
1 May	Eid al-Fitr	Public Holiday
1 May	Labor Day	Public Holiday
2 May	Eid al-Fitr Holiday	Public Holiday
3 May	Eid al-Fitr Holiday	Public Holiday
9 Jul	Day of Arafat	Public Holiday
10 Jul	Eid al-Qurban	Public Holiday
11 Jul	Eid al-Qurban Holiday	Public Holiday
12 Jul	Eid al-Qurban Holiday	Public Holiday
8 Aug	Ashura (Tentative Date)	Public Holiday
19 Aug	Independence Day (National Day)	Public Holiday
9 Sep	Martyrs and Ahmad Shah Masoud Day	Public Holiday
8 Oct	The Prophet's Birthday (Tentative Date)	Public Holiday

Payroll

Payroll Cycle‍

Afghanistan follows alternate payroll schedules - weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly.

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Minimum Wage

There is no minimum wage for a permanent worker in the private sector. However, the minimum wage for a permanent worker in the government sector is AFN 6000 per month. For a non permanent private sector employee, the minimum wage is 5500 AFN.

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Overtime Pay

Employees who work overtime are entitled to a 25% increase in their wages for the hours worked and 50% for overtime worked on public holidays.

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Health Examination Clause

Bonus

13th Month Pay

There is no provision for 13th-month salary.

Employee Benefits

~Maternity Leave
~Social Security
~Health Insurance
~Pension Fund
~Hajj Pilgrimage Leave

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Taxes

Employer Payroll Tax

Employers are not expected to pay any taxes in respect of their employers or their salaries.

Employee Income Tax

For monthly income, the following tax rates are considered:

Taxable income range (AFN)	Tax rate
0 - 5000	0%
5000 - 12500	2%
12500 - 100,000	10% + AFN 150
Above 100,000	20% + AFN 8900

VAT‍

Afghanistan follows a standard VAT rate of 10%.

Offboarding & Termination

Termination Process

Termination of employment may occur in the following situations:

~Mutual agreement
~Completion of fixed-term contract
~Retirement
~Demise
~Disability affecting the performance of work
~Reduction in staff by employer
~Imprisonment
~Breach of disciplinary rules
~Refusal to work after reassignment
~Unsatisfactory probation performance

Notice Period

As per mutual discussion between the employer and the employee, and the labor code of the country.

Severance Pay

Severance pay in Afghanistan is mandatory and payable based on the duration of the service as follows:

One month’s salary	duration of service is up to one year
Two month’s salary	duration of service is between two to five years
Three month’s salary	duration of service is between five to ten years
Four month’s salary	duration of service is above ten years

Visa and Immigration

If a foreigner is to work in Afghanistan, the following documents are needed:

~Valid visa
~Work permit from Ministry of Labor and social affairs, approved by Ministry of Foreign Affairs
~Health Certificate from home country and Ministry of Public Health.
~A stay permit.

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Talent Wiki - Afghanistan

Supplementary Guide for Employment and Expansion in Afghanistan