As of March 2024, the estimated population of Zambia is 20.5 million.
The currency in Zambia is the Zambian Kwacha (ZMW). The currency symbol is ZK.
A permanent contract is defined as an employment contract that expires upon the employee’s attainment of the retirement age (if not terminated before that date according to the provisions of the Employment Code Act). Permanent employees are hired for work that is not short-term, has regular or systematic hours of work, and is expected to continue (or is necessary for either the continued or sustainable operation of the company or the company's core objectives). Either party can terminate a permanent contract by giving a notice, except in case of gross misconduct.
Written contracts are mandatory when agreements are made for a minimum of 6 months. Written contracts must include the following information: employee name, place of origin, and other particulars; employer and business name, place of engagement, and other particulars; start date and duration of the contract of service; wage; the nature of the employment, working hours, place of work, tasks and any other details necessary to clearly outline the type of work for which the employee has been hired. Written contracts must be made in duplicate, signed by both parties, and attested by an authorized officer.
Temporary employment is defined as service under a contract of service where a person is engaged to do relief work in the absence of a substantive employee. Temporary employees cannot be hired for permanent jobs or to replace striking employees. Temporary employees are not entitled to annual leave or severance pay. Employers can hire temporary employees through licensed employment agencies. Temporary employees must receive wages and employment conditions similar to those of the third party's employees who perform comparable tasks.
Zambia's Employment Code Act provides for a probationary period of up to 3 months. The probationary period may be extended for a further period not exceeding 3 months. If, during the probation period, the employer finds that the employee is not suitable for the job, the employer can terminate the contract by giving the employee at least 24 hours' notice. Employees under probation are not entitled to receive severance pay. If an employer is satisfied with an employee's performance, they must notify the employee in writing of the confirmation of employment.
The standard workday duration is 8 hours, and the standard workweek duration is 48 hours. Any hours over 48 are considered overtime and must be paid accordingly.
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Workers employed for at least 12 consecutive months with the same employer are entitled to paid annual leave at the rate of 2 days for each month of service (24 calendar days for a year). The employer offers annual leave in addition to public holidays or weekly rest days. Part-time employees are also entitled to paid leave in proportion to the number of hours they work (a full-time employee must work 95 hours in a month to be eligible for paid annual leave).
Workers are entitled to paid sick leave with proof in the form of a valid medical certificate as follows: A maximum of 26 days with full pay and a further 26 days with half pay for short-term employees (contract of fewer than 12 months) A maximum of 90 days (three months) with full pay and a further 90 days with half pay for permanent employees and fixed-term employees with contracts lasting more than 12 months If an employee does not recover from the illness or injury after 6 months from the date of the illness or injury, their employer can terminate the employment contract on medical grounds by paying a lump sum of at least 3 months' basic pay for each completed year of service.
Under the law, workers are entitled to at least 14 weeks of fully paid maternity leave if they have worked with the same employer for at least 24 months. This leave can be taken immediately after delivery or preceding the expected delivery date, so at least 6 weeks' leave is taken after delivery. This leave is extended by 4 weeks in case of multiple births. Employees must provide their employers with a written notice and a medical certificate to take maternity leave. Employees cannot be employed for overtime or nighttime work 2 months before their expected delivery. Employers must provide a safe work environment for the employee and cannot dismiss or otherwise penalize an employee for taking maternity leave.
Male employees are entitled to at least 5 days of paid paternity leave upon their child's birth unless more favorable terms are agreed to in their employment contracts. Employees who have worked with the same employer for at least 12 consecutive months before taking leave are entitled to this benefit. The leave must be taken within 7 days of birth. Employees have to submit birth records to their employers.
A terminated employee is entitled to either notice of termination or compensation in lieu of notice (unless they are guilty of misconduct). The notice periods that must be observed are the following: 24 hours for contracts of less than 1 month's duration 14 days for contracts of 1 to 3 months' duration 30 days for contracts of more than 3 months' duration. Notice to terminate a contract of employment of more than 6 months must be in writing. Employers must not give notice of termination while the employee is on leave.
According to the Employment Code Act of Zambia, severance benefits are paid as follows: Termination on medical grounds - 3 months' basic pay for each year of employment Termination of fixed-term contracts - 25% of the total basic pay earned by the employee during the period of employment Termination due to redundancy - 2 months' basic pay for each year of employment Termination due to the employee's death - 2 months' basic pay for each year of employment (paid to the employee's estate). Casual, temporary employees and those under probation are not entitled to severance benefits. Employees who have been dismissed summarily for gross misconduct are not eligible for severance.
The National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) pays retirement benefits. The retirement age is 60, though employees can avail themselves of early retirement at 55 and late retirement at 65. Those retiring early or late must inform their employers of their retirement at least 12 months in advance. Employees must have made 15 years of contributions to qualify for a retirement pension. Persons who do not qualify for retirement pension are eligible to receive the total contributions made by them and their employer, plus the accrued interest as a lump sum. Both employees and employers make contributions to social security.
Survivors' benefits are paid to dependent family members (spouse and children under 18 years or disabled children of any age) of a deceased employee who received a retirement or invalidity pension or was entitled to receive such a pension. Survivors receive the same amount of pension that the deceased employee received or was entitled to receive at the time of their death. The minimum pension is 20% of the National Average Earnings, currently ZMW 9,309.00 (Zambian kwachas) per month. If the deceased person does not meet the criteria that qualify their survivors to receive a pension, the survivors will be eligible for a lump-sum payment equal to the contributions made by the deceased employee and their employer, plus accrued interest. Employers are liable to pay survivors' benefits to dependents of an employee who died because of an occupational accident, injury, or disease.
People under retirement age who are disabled due to a non-occupational accident/injury/disease are entitled to receive disability pension if they have paid 180 monthly contributions or at least 60 monthly contributions, of which 12 or more were paid in the 36 months immediately preceding the date at which the invalidity began. The amount of invalidity pension depends on the worker's average monthly wage and length of pensionable service. Employees who do not satisfy the conditions for monthly contributions are eligible to receive the total contributions made by them and their employer, plus the accrued interest as a lump sum. Employees who become disabled due to occupational accidents/injuries/diseases receive compensation from their employers. In the case of temporary disability, they receive a monthly pension for a maximum of 18 months. For permanent disability of more than 10%, they receive a monthly pension for their lifetime. Employees with less than 10% permanent disability receive a lump sum compensation.
Zambian residents are taxed on their income from worldwide sources, while non-residents are liable to pay tax on their income from within the country. The tax year is the same as the calendar year, from January to December. Employees are subject to Pay As You Earn (PAYE), where employers deduct tax from employees’ emoluments in proportion to what they earn. Income tax rates in Zambia are progressive and range from 0% to 37% of income.
In Zambia, the following types of visas are available:
The Department of Immigration issues employment permits to foreign nationals who enter Zambia to take up employment for a period longer than 6 months. Permits can be extended for a further period or periods to a maximum of 10 years from the date of issue. The holder of an employment permit must comply with the conditions specified in the permit and must not engage, for gain, in any activity, business, trade, employment, profession, study, or other action not specified in the permit. They cannot study or buy land in Zambia.
