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$249/month
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The Kingdom of Eswatini is a small, landlocked country in southern Africa surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique. The people living here are predominately ethnic Swazis and the country was previously named Swaziland up until its formal change in 2018. It was a British territory from 1903 to 1968, when it regained its independence. Since then, the population has tripled to 1.176 million in 2024. Its GDP has also grown to $4.87 billion in 2023, led by agriculture, forestry, mining, textile manufacturing, sugar processing, and services. In 2024, the GDP is again set to grow by 3.7%. Eswatini follows a distinct political system of tinkhundlas (community centers) for participatory democracy and the development of economic initiatives. Swazi workers are known to be friendly, active, dedicated, and hard-working. If you want to hire employees from Eswatini for your company, working with an EOR might be the best way to do it.
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An Eswatini employer of record or EOR is a service provider that specializes in employment. In particular, it helps companies from other countries hire workers in Eswatini without needing to own registered business entities in the country. An EOR is also sometimes referred to as a PEO or professional employment organization and these terms can be used interchangeably.
EORs typically recruit and hire workers on behalf of their clients. They then manage the workers’ human resources (HR) needs, including payroll, taxes, benefits, leave schedules, and more. In return, the EOR’s clients pay a fee for each employee it recruits and manages. The clients also pay for workers’ salaries and social contributions through the EOR.
Working with an Eswatini EOR can be highly advantageous for foreign-based companies. The benefits of this kind of partnership include:
Horizons stands out as a Eswatini EOR through:
Your company can pay a fee to an EOR to recruit and manage each worker you want to hire. In exchange, the organization typically provides the following services:
Eswatini has an active, highly participatory system of government. This system places a high value on workers’ rights, which are enshrined in various legal instruments, including the Employment Act of 1980, the Industrial Relations Act of 2014, the National Occupational Safety and Health policy, the Code of Good Practice of 2015, the Wages act of 1964, and other decrees and acts. The EOR you partner with will have expert knowledge of this complicated collection of statutes. However, as an employer, you should also know the basic points of law so you’re aware of what your Swazi staff are entitled to.
Contracts in Eswatini must be provided to employees within 60 days of the start of their employment. Contracts must be in writing in one of the official languages (English or Swazi) and can be permanent or fixed-term. If they include probationary periods, these cannot exceed three months in length.
No probationary period.
At completion of the project.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not required
Not applicable
Typically 3 to 6 months
30 days
10 days salary per year of service
Most workers in Eswatini work a 45-hour work week spread over five or six days. There are no specific limits to overtime, but overtime limits and rates must be dictated in workers’ contracts.
Domestic workers have a regular work week of 48 hours spread over six days. They can work overtime if they consent to, but this overtime must be paid at the rate of at least 150% of their normal wages.
150% of the standard hourly rate
200% of the standard hourly rate
200% of the standard hourly rate
Eswatini has 13 paid public holidays each year. These are a mixture of national days and (Christian) religious observances.
Eswatini’s public holiday schedule for 2025 is:
Date | Holiday name |
---|---|
1 Jan 2025 | New Year’s Day |
18 Apr 2025 | Good Friday |
19 Apr 2025 | King’s Birthday |
21 Apr 2025 | Easter Monday |
25 Apr 2025 | National Flag Day |
1 May 2025 | Labour Day |
29 May 2025 | Ascension Day |
22 Jul 2025 | King Father’s Birthday |
2 Sep 2025 | Umhlanga |
6 Sep 2025 | Somhlolo Day (Independence Day) |
25 Dec 2025 | Christmas Day |
26 Dec 2025 | Boxing Day |
31 Dec 2025 | New Year’s Eve |
Most workers who work for five hours are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid break.
Domestic workers who work for four and a half hours are entitled to a one-hour unpaid break.
no leave entitlement
14 days of paid leave annually
14 days of paid leave annually
14 days of paid leave annually
Swazi workers who have worked for more than three months for the same employer are entitled to 14 days of sick leave each year. The employer must pay this leave in full at 100% of the worker’s normal rate. However, payment is subject to the presentation of a medical certificate.
(percentage of regular wages owed to the employee)
no leave entitlement
14 days of paid leave annually
14 days of paid leave annually
14 days of paid leave annually
Unpaid (unless specified in the employment contract or under special circumstances)
Unpaid (unless specified in the employment contract or under special circumstances)
Unpaid (unless specified in the employment contract or under special circumstances)
In order for employees to receive the full wages due to them, workers must present a valid medical certificate from a certified doctor to their employer.
Expecting mothers are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave. Not more than six weeks can be taken before the date of confinement. This leave is paid in full by the employer; however, paid leave is only given once every 24 months. There is no mandated paternity leave in Eswatini.
Swazi workers who have performed 12 months of service to their employers are entitled to not less than 2 weeks of paid annual leave. They must be paid for this leave within six months of having earned it by working for 12 months.
Any worker who has worked between one and three months must be given one week’s notice. For between three and twelve months of service, two days of notice must be given for each month of service, and workers who have provided more than one year of service must be granted notice of one month as well as four additional days for each year of service. Workers terminated for reasons other than gross misconduct are given severance pay totaling ten days’ wages for each year of service to the employer.
The social security system is mainly governed by the Swaziland National Provident Fund (SNPF) and the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) for public sector employees.
The total contribution to the SNPF is 10% of the employee’s gross earnings, split equally between the employee and employer. On the other hand, the combined contribution to the PSPF can be approximately 22% of the employee’s salary, with the larger portion coming from the employer (government).
The compulsory social security contributions in Eswatini generally apply to all employees working in the country, including foreigners. However, expatriates or foreigners might have different arrangements depending on their employment contract and agreements between Eswatini and their home country regarding social security.
Eswatini employs a progressive tax system where the rate of tax increases with higher income levels. Foreigners working in Eswatini are subject to the same individual income tax rates as residents. However, specific tax treaties between Eswatini and other countries may affect the tax obligations of expatriates.
The Ministry of Health oversees the public health system, providing healthcare services through government hospitals and clinics. Services are often subsidized or provided at low cost to citizens, but the quality and availability of services can vary, particularly in rural areas.
Various private health insurance companies operate in Eswatini, offering different plans that cover a range of medical services. These plans can be expensive and are typically more comprehensive than public services.
The minimum wage in Eswatini is mandated according to workers’ ratings. Domestic workers are to be paid a minimum of 531.60 SZL (Swazi lilangeni)/month or about 30 USD/month. Unskilled workers must be paid at least 420 SZL (about 23 USD), and skilled workers a minimum of 600 SZL/month (about 33 USD). However, average salaries for highly sought-after workers can range from 5,000-10,000 SZL/month (275-550 USD).
Wages must be paid at or near the place of work during working hours.
A 13th-month annual bonus is not mandatory in Eswatini. Some employers may provide this annual bonus at their own discretion to incentivize workers.
Employers in Eswatini pay contributions equal to 5% of a worker’s salary to the Eswatini National Provident Fund for old age, invalidity, and survivor’s benefits. Employees are deducted 5% of their salaries, for a total of 10%, to contribute to this same fund.
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The EOR you work with will legally employ your workers. In compliance with local statutes, it will create contracts that define their working conditions and compensation that are fair and equitable. It will also perform payroll operations so that all taxes and social security contributions are properly calculated and correctly paid.
The most obvious benefit of working with an EOR in Eswatini is that it lets you hire Swazi workers without needing to open a business entity in the country. An EOR can also recruit employees much more quickly and effectively than you could on your own. It will manage payroll, benefits, scheduling, and other HR functions so you can focus on how your workers can produce value for your company.