Multiplier Honored by Fast Company’s 2024 List of Most Innovative Companies.

Multiplier Logo
Loading Animation Image

Talent Wiki – Cape Verde

Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Cape Verde

Capital

Praia

Currency

Cape Verde Escudo (CVE)

Languages

Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole

Payroll Frequency

Monthly

GDP per Capita

$3,600.22

Employer Tax

15%

Talent Overview

Cape Verde is a small archipelagic nation located near the coasts of Senegal and Mauritania. It is a service-oriented country lacking in natural resources. It experiences devastating droughts due to a lack of rain in the area (save a few islands) which totally limit the country’s agricultural development. However, Cape Verde boasts a strong tourism industry, largely due to significant cooperation with Portugal.

Major economic hubs:

Praia Town

Skills in demand:

Education Professionals, Medical Professionals, Tourism Professionals, ICT Professionals

Group 1

Local Universities

The top local universities in Cape Verde are as follows:

Uni1 2

Universidade de Cabo Verde

RANKING

Local: 1

World : 6570

Uni2 2

Universidade Jean Piaget de Cabo Verde

RANKING

Local: 2

World : 8811

Uni3 2

Universidade do Mindelo

RANKING

Local: 3

World : 8989

Uni4 2

Universidade Lusófona de Cabo Verde

RANKING

Local: 4

World : 10168

Cape Verde Uni5

Universidade de Santiago

RANKING

Local: 5

World : 10790

Salary Data

The average monthly salary of some common jobs in Cape Verde is mentioned below

Job Title Average Monthly Salary (CVE) Average Monthly Salary (USD)
Finance Licensing Manager 284,000 2745.51
General Manager 347,000 3354.55
Business Development Manager 310,000 2996.86
Financial Commercial Analyst 203,000 1962.46
Business Analyst 245,000 2368.49
Project Manager 222,000 2146.14
Talent Source 2

Talent Sourcing Tips

Top Local Job Boards:

Jobs Island (Cape Verde), Jobnet Africa, Michael Page (Africa)

Number of LinkedIn users:

68,110

Top Recruitment Agencies:

Congrexim

Employing in Cape Verde

Hiring in Cape Verde requires you to be aware of the local employment laws, benefits, payroll, and taxes. Given below is everything you need to know on how to successfully onboard talents from Cape Verde.

Employee Contract:

Contracts in Cape Verde can either be verbal or written according to the Labour Code. The minimum age to sign a contract is 15 years old. If the employee is less than 18 years old then parents or legal guardians can demand the cancellation of the contract. The most common type of contract used by employers in Cape Verde is a written contract. Cape Verde uses two languages, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole. They can use either language in writing contracts but in practice, they use Portuguese the most. Therefore, it’s recommended that they use Portuguese; however, by law, they can use either.

Probation Period:

The probationary period for employees ranges from 15 days to 2 months.

Public and Provincial Holidays:

Date Name Type
1 Jan New Year Public Holiday
13 Jan Freedom and Democracy Day Public Holiday
20 Jan National Heroes’ Day Public Holiday
7 Apr Good Friday Public Holiday
1 May Labour Day Public Holiday
1 Jun Children’s Day Public Holiday
5 Jul Independence Day Public Holiday
15 Aug Assumption of Mary Public Holiday
1 Nov All Saints’ Day Public Holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day Public Holiday

Employee Leaves:

Type of leave Time period Mandatory
Annual leave/Earned Leave 22 – 44 days Yes
Maternity Leave 2 months Yes
Sick Leave 30 days Yes

Payroll

Payroll 1

Payroll Cycle

Workers are paid monthly. The payroll schedule must not exceed more than 31 days from the last payment.

Payroll 2

Minimum Wage

The national minimum wage in Cape Verde is CVE 13,000.

Payroll 3

Overtime Pay

The standard working hours in Cape Verde are 38 hours per week and 7 hours per day. Regular overtime in Cape Verde should be at least 50% on top of the regular pay.

For night work starting from 22:00 to 6:00, employees are entitled to a compensation of 25% on top of regular pay which cannot exceed more than 7 hours per week.

Weekend and holiday compensation rates are 100% on top of regular pay.

Bonus

13th Month Pay:

The 13th-month pay is not mandatory in Cape Verde but is customary.

Employee Benefits:

Full-time employees in Cape Verde are ensured to have insurance benefits such as

  • Old-Age Pension
  • Disability Pension
  • Survivor Pension
  • Temporary Disability Benefit
  • Permanent Disability Benefit
  • Worker’s Medical Benefit
  • Sickness and Maternity Benefit

Taxes

Employer Payroll Tax:

Type of Contribution Contribution Rate
Social security 15%

Employee Payroll Tax:

Type of Contribution Contribution Rate
Social security 8%

Employee Income Tax:

Employees who earn up to a net of CVE 220,000 annually are exempted from taxation.

Taxable Income (CVE) Tax Rate (%)
0 – 960,000.00 16.5
960,000.01 – 1,800,000.00 23.1
Over 1,800,000.01 27.5

VAT:

The standard VAT in Cape Verde is 15% (8% for electricity and water for end-users).

Offboarding & Termination

Employers cannot terminate the employment contract without just cause. Valid reasons for termination include economic, market reasons, misconduct for a serious incident, or disciplinary issues destroying the employment relationship.

The notice period before termination for probationary and regular employees is up to 30 days.

An employee employed for less than 1 year is entitled to 1.75 days’ basic pay per month. Employees with 1 year of service are entitled to 21 days of basic pay.

Employees with more than 1 year but less than 5 years of service are entitled to 15 days of basic pay per year.

Employees with more than 5 years of service are entitled to 10 days of basic remuneration per year after the first five years.

Visa and Immigration

Business visas to Cape Verde are easily processed. However, you must visit their consulates inside your country to obtain your business visa according to their requirements. You can also email (address depends on Cape Verde’s consulate within your country) your application for easier processing.

Visa And Immigration 1
Footer 24x5 New Img2x

Streamline payroll and compliance for your international workforce

Payroll

Minimum Wage

Overtime Pay

Visa & Immigration