Employment in Belarus is governed by the Constitution and other legislative acts such as labor laws, trade union rules, and labor migration laws. Read forward for more information on the employment aspects in Belarus.
Employee Contract
Public and Provincial Holidays
Leave Information
Basic
The employment contract can be written in either Belarusian or Russian. There are usually two copies of the contract. Both permanent and temporary employment is followed in Belarus. In the former case, the employment contract should specify the starting date and end date, while only the starting date needs to be mentioned in the latter.
Probation Period
The probation policy for newly hired employees ranges from 1 month to 3 months.
13th Month Pay
There is no statutory law for 13th-month pay bonuses in Belarus.
Employee Benefits
The pay management cycle followed is monthly, or semi-monthly Employees are paid at the beginning of every following month. Also, part payment of 40% by the middle of a month and the rest amount paid in the upcoming month is also found in practice.
As of January 2023, the national minimum wage in Belarus is 554 BYN per month.
It is regulated at 200% of the standard salary. Also, the overtime per week is restricted to not more than 10 hours weekly and 180 hours annually.
Employer Payroll Cost:
Employers have to make the following contributions to every employee they maintain.
| Contribution |
Employer payroll tax |
| Pension |
28% |
| Health Insurance |
6% |
|
Insurance for work-related injuries
and occupational illnesses
|
0.10% to 1% |
Employee Payroll Cost:
Every employee is entitled to a monthly salary, from which the following contributions will be made.
Employee Income Tax
Belarus levies a flat rate of 13% as an individual income tax rate.
VAT
The standard VAT rate in Belarus is 20%.
An employment contract can be canceled in Belarus during the following circumstances:
- Mutual understanding between the employer and employee
- Employment contract expires
- Employee moving to another company
- Cancellation of contract after a trial period
A minimum of 1-month notice is required to leave the employment upon the employee’s wish. It will be finalized based on the employment contract. In the case of fixed-term employment, no notice period is allowed.
Severance pay
A minimum of two weeks’ pay of the average salary is usually considered the severance pay in Belarus. Again, this, too is stipulated by the employment agreement.
To reside and work in Belarus, foreign nationals need a long-term visa. The important documents to work long-term in Belarus include: