Working Hours and Overtime in Angola

In Angola, your company must comply with working hour and overtime laws – including daily limits, overtime thresholds, and rest requirements – to stay compliant and build a strong employee experience.

As you plan workforce schedules through 2026, you should expect closer scrutiny of working-time records, overtime practices and rest-period compliance, particularly in high-risk sectors such as construction, mining, transport and hospitality. Regulators are likely to focus on excessive hours, unpaid overtime and inadequate weekly rest, so investing in robust timekeeping systems, clear internal policies and manager training will be essential to demonstrate compliance and avoid disputes.

• Standard Working Hours
• Overtime Thresholds
• Overtime Pay Rates
• Daily And Weekly Rest Requirements
• Night Work Restrictions
• Penalties For Non-Compliance

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Angola?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 7 hours per day and 38 hours per week. An employee whose age is 17 or older is allowed to work 44 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 5 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Angola

Under Angolan labour law, the general limit for normal working time is 44 hours per week, usually distributed over 5 or 6 days. In most office-based roles, this equates to 8 hours per day over 5 days, with the remaining hours – if any – spread across a sixth day or adjusted through flexible scheduling. You should structure work schedules so that employees do not exceed the daily and weekly limits, except where the law expressly allows overtime.

For young workers aged 16 or younger, you must apply stricter limits – no more than 7 hours per day and 38 hours per week – and avoid scheduling them for night work or hazardous tasks. These protections are designed to safeguard health, safety and education, and you should document age and working-time arrangements carefully.

Working time includes all periods during which the employee is at your disposal and carrying out duties or following your instructions. Standby time at the workplace, mandatory training during normal hours and required meetings generally count as working time. Travel between home and the usual workplace is not normally counted, but travel between work sites during the day usually is.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Industries – Such As Oil, Gas And Mining Operations
• Hospital, Emergency And Health Care Services
• Hospitality, Tourism And Catering Establishments
• Transport, Ports, Aviation And Logistics Services
• Agriculture, Fisheries And Seasonal Campaign Work
• Security, Guarding And Surveillance Services

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and employees in positions of trust often have greater flexibility in their schedules, but they are not automatically excluded from working-time protections. In Angola, you may agree on broader availability and irregular hours for high-level managerial staff, provided that the arrangement is clearly reflected in the employment contract and complies with health and safety standards.

Where the law or a collective agreement classifies certain categories as exempt from standard hour limits, you should still monitor their workload, ensure reasonable rest and avoid systematic overwork. Courts and labour inspectors may look beyond job titles to the actual duties performed when assessing whether an employee is genuinely exempt, so you should maintain accurate job descriptions and time records.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Angola

Statutory full-time work in Angola is generally based on a 44-hour workweek. Most full-time contracts are structured around 8 hours per day from Monday to Friday, with the remaining hours either absorbed through slightly longer days or a partial day on Saturday, depending on your operational needs and any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

When you hire employees on a part-time basis, their contractual hours should be clearly defined as a fraction of the full-time schedule, and their entitlements – such as leave and benefits – should be pro-rated accordingly. Any work performed beyond the agreed normal hours, but within the statutory weekly limit, should be managed transparently and in line with internal policies and Angolan labour law.

Overtime Regulations In Angola

What Counts As Overtime In Angola?

In Angola, overtime is any time worked beyond the employee’s normal daily or weekly schedule as set out in the employment contract or applicable collective agreement, subject to the statutory ceiling of 44 hours per week. Once an employee exceeds the standard daily hours – typically 8 hours – or the weekly limit, the additional time is treated as overtime and must be compensated at enhanced rates.

Overtime must generally be requested or approved by you in advance, except in genuine emergencies where immediate action is required to prevent serious loss or danger. You should implement clear internal procedures for authorising overtime, recording hours worked and obtaining employee consent where required. Unrecorded or informal overtime can still be claimable, so accurate timekeeping systems are essential.

Maximum Overtime In Angola

Angolan law places quantitative limits on overtime to protect employee health and safety. While specific caps can vary by sector and collective agreement, a common framework is that overtime should not exceed 2 hours per day and should remain within a monthly and annual ceiling – for example, a typical benchmark is around 160 hours per year, unless a specific legal or collective provision allows otherwise.

You should plan staffing levels so that overtime is used only to cover exceptional peaks in workload, seasonal demands or unforeseen absences, rather than as a permanent feature of normal operations. Where your business requires regular overtime, review whether additional hiring, shift reorganisation or flexible working arrangements would be more sustainable and compliant.

Overtime Payout Rates In Angola

Overtime in Angola must be paid at a premium above the employee’s normal hourly wage. While exact percentages can depend on the time of day, day of the week and any applicable collective agreement, a common structure is a higher rate for overtime on normal working days and an even higher rate for overtime performed at night, on weekly rest days or on public holidays.

To calculate overtime pay, determine the employee’s regular hourly rate by dividing their base monthly salary by the statutory or contractual monthly hours, then apply the relevant premium percentage to each overtime hour. You should reflect overtime payments clearly on payslips, keep supporting time records and ensure that any time off in lieu arrangements are expressly agreed in writing and provide at least equivalent value to the overtime premium that would otherwise be due.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Angola

In Angola, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to ensure that these hours are worked safely and sustainably. During the working day, employees who work more than 5 hours must receive a meal break of at least 60 minutes, and you must also respect daily and weekly rest periods so that employees have sufficient time away from work to recover, fulfil family responsibilities and travel safely.

• Meal Break Requirements
• Daily Rest
• Weekly Rest
• Minors
• Employer Duties