Working Hours and Overtime in Cape Verde

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Cape Verde?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 7 hours per day and 35 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 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Cape Verde

In Cape Verde, the general statutory limit for normal working time is 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week for adult employees. You must organize schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits in their regular working patterns, except where overtime is lawfully applied. Collective bargaining agreements or company-level regulations may introduce shorter standard hours, such as 40 hours per week, and you must comply with the more favorable rule for employees.

When you introduce flexible or shift-based schedules, the average working time over the agreed reference period must still respect the 44-hour weekly ceiling. Any hours worked beyond the contractual schedule or the statutory daily or weekly limits must be treated as overtime and compensated accordingly. You are also required to keep accurate time records to demonstrate compliance if inspected by the labor authorities.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. These rules allow for longer daily shifts or irregular hours, provided that equivalent rest and overtime compensation are granted. You should always verify whether a sectoral collective agreement applies to your operations in Cape Verde.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. Where longer shifts are used, you must plan rosters that provide sufficient daily and weekly rest to avoid excessive fatigue and safety risks. Written schedules and clear communication with staff are essential to demonstrate that these exceptions are properly managed.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial employees in Cape Verde may enjoy greater flexibility in their working hours, and some may not be subject to strict tracking of daily schedules. However, they are still protected by general health and safety principles, and you should avoid imposing excessive workloads that would systematically exceed reasonable limits. Their employment contracts should clearly describe expectations regarding availability, working time, and any fixed salary that already factors in a certain amount of additional work.

Where managers or trusted employees are excluded from standard overtime rules by law or collective agreement, this exemption must be explicit and justified by the nature of their role. You should avoid classifying employees as exempt unless their responsibilities and decision-making authority genuinely meet the legal criteria. Misclassification can expose you to back payment of overtime and related penalties.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Cape Verde

In practice, full-time work in Cape Verde is generally based on the statutory ceiling of 44 hours per week for adult employees. Many employers, particularly in office-based roles, adopt a 40-hour week while still remaining within the legal maximum. Your internal policies or collective agreements should specify what constitutes full-time status in your organization.

Part-time arrangements are permitted, provided the agreed hours are clearly set out in the employment contract. You must ensure that part-time employees receive pro-rated benefits and are not treated less favorably than comparable full-time staff. Any hours worked by part-time employees beyond their contractual schedule may qualify as overtime once they exceed the normal daily or weekly limits.

Overtime Regulations In Cape Verde

Employers in Cape Verde must closely monitor and record all hours worked beyond the normal daily and weekly schedule, as these hours are considered overtime when they exceed statutory or contractual limits. You are responsible for obtaining any required employee consent, respecting legal caps, and paying the correct overtime premiums. Failure to do so can result in back-pay orders, fines, and potential reputational damage during labor inspections.

What Counts As Overtime In Cape Verde?

Overtime in Cape Verde generally arises when an employee works more than 8 hours in a day or more than 44 hours in a week, unless a shorter limit is set by contract or collective agreement. Hours worked at the employer’s request on a weekly rest day or public holiday are also treated as overtime, even if the weekly total does not exceed 44 hours. You should define in writing how working time is scheduled so that any additional hours beyond that schedule are clearly identifiable as overtime.

On-call time that requires the employee to remain at the workplace or at the employer’s disposal may also count as working time and can generate overtime once limits are exceeded. You must ensure that overtime is ordered or approved by a responsible manager and that employees are not pressured to work unrecorded extra hours. Transparent policies and reliable timekeeping systems are essential to avoid disputes about what constitutes overtime.

Maximum Overtime In Cape Verde

In Cape Verde, overtime is subject to quantitative limits designed to protect employee health and safety. As a general guideline, overtime should not cause total working time to exceed 10 hours per day or 56 hours per week, meaning a practical overtime cap of 2 extra hours per day and 12 extra hours per week for most employees. Over a longer reference period, you should ensure that overtime remains exceptional and does not become a permanent extension of normal working time.

Many collective agreements and internal policies further restrict overtime to around 150 to 200 hours per year per employee, and you should verify any sector-specific rules that apply to your business. Where higher annual overtime is necessary, you should seek employee representatives’ agreement or, where required, labor authority approval before exceeding the usual thresholds. If no specific cap is set in a binding instrument, you must still apply the daily and weekly limits and document why any sustained overtime is necessary.

Overtime Payout Rates In Cape Verde

Cape Verdean law requires overtime to be paid at premium rates above the employee’s normal hourly wage. A common statutory benchmark is at least 125% of the base hourly rate (1.25x) for overtime worked on normal working days once daily or weekly limits are exceeded. You should verify whether a collective agreement applicable to your sector sets higher percentages and, if so, apply those more favorable rates.

For overtime worked on weekly rest days or public holidays, the premium is typically higher, often at least 150% of the base hourly rate (1.5x). Some agreements provide 200% pay (2.0x) for work performed on major public holidays, and you must follow those rules where they apply. In all cases, overtime premiums must be calculated on the employee’s regular remuneration base, and the calculations should be clearly itemized on payslips.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Cape Verde

In Cape Verde, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week, and rest periods are structured around these limits to protect health and productivity. During the working day, employees who work more than 6 hours are entitled to a meal break that interrupts work and cannot be counted as working time. You must also ensure that daily and weekly rest periods are respected so that total working time remains within legal boundaries.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive a meal break of at least 60 minutes, usually scheduled around the middle of the workday. This break should allow employees to rest and eat away from their workstation.
• Daily Rest: Employees are generally entitled to a minimum uninterrupted daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next. You should design shift patterns so that this 11-hour rest is not routinely reduced.
• Weekly Rest: Cape Verdean employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday. If business needs require Sunday work, you must grant an alternative full rest day during the same week.
• Minors: Workers under 18 are subject to stricter rest and break rules, including shorter daily limits and more frequent pauses. You should avoid scheduling minors for late-evening or split shifts that could interfere with schooling or recovery time.
• Employer Duty: Employers must actively schedule and monitor breaks and rest periods rather than leaving them entirely to employees’ discretion. Proper documentation of rosters and break times helps demonstrate compliance during inspections or disputes.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Cape Verde

Night and weekend work are legal in Cape Verde but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay attention to working-time limits, health and safety considerations, and any applicable premium pay rules when scheduling staff during these periods. Clear written policies and accurate time records are essential to show that these obligations are being met.

Night work in Cape Verde is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, although collective agreements may refine this window. Employees who regularly perform a substantial part of their hours within this period are considered night workers and may be entitled to specific protections. You should identify which roles in your organization qualify as night work and apply the relevant rules consistently.

• Premium Pay: There is no explicit statutory night work premium in Cape Verde, but many collective agreements and company policies grant a supplement of around 20% to 30% of the base hourly wage (1.2x to 1.3x) for hours worked between 22:00 and 06:00. You should check any applicable agreement and clearly state the exact percentage used in your internal policies and employment contracts.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should be offered periodic health assessments to identify fatigue, sleep disorders, or other risks associated with night schedules. Where medical advice indicates that night work is unsuitable, you should consider transferring the employee to a day role where reasonably possible.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors are generally prohibited from performing night work, particularly between 22:00 and 06:00, except for narrowly defined training situations. Pregnant workers and recent mothers should not be required to work night shifts if a medical certificate indicates that such work would be harmful to their health or the child’s health.

Weekend work, especially on Sundays, is treated as an exception to the normal weekly rest pattern in Cape Verde. If employees work on Sunday or another designated weekly rest day, you must provide a substitute rest day of at least 24 consecutive hours and, where required by law or collective agreement, pay a premium that commonly reaches 150% of the base rate (1.5x) or higher. You should plan staffing so that weekend work is rotated fairly and does not deprive any employee of their guaranteed weekly rest.