Working Hours and Overtime in Djibouti

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Djibouti?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 7 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 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 Djibouti

Djibouti’s Labour Code sets the normal working time at 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week for adult employees, unless a more favorable limit is agreed in a collective agreement or employment contract. You must organize schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits without properly authorized overtime. Where work is organized on a shift basis, you should verify that the average weekly hours over the reference period still respect the 48-hour ceiling.

Collective agreements in some sectors may reduce the weekly limit below 48 hours or introduce compressed weeks, but they cannot increase the statutory maximum without treating the excess as overtime. As an employer, you are required to keep accurate daily and weekly time records to demonstrate compliance with these limits. Failure to document hours worked makes it difficult to defend against claims for unpaid overtime or excessive working time.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules that allow for irregular or split shifts. In these cases, the law permits some flexibility in daily scheduling, provided that the average weekly working time does not exceed 48 hours and that compensatory rest is granted where required.

In practice, you should use written shift rosters and internal policies to show how you manage peaks in activity while still respecting the legal limits. When applying sectoral derogations, always check whether a specific decree or collective agreement imposes stricter caps or additional rest requirements. This is particularly important where operations run 24/7 or rely heavily on night and weekend staffing.

• 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. You should monitor hours over several weeks and adjust rosters if the average approaches or exceeds 48 hours. Documenting this monitoring process helps demonstrate due diligence in the event of an inspection.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff in Djibouti may enjoy broader autonomy over their schedules, but they are not automatically exempt from all working-time protections. Unless a genuine flat-salary arrangement clearly compensates for overtime and is permitted by law, you should still treat hours beyond the normal 48-hour week as overtime. Contracts for managers should explicitly describe expected working hours, availability, and how any additional hours are compensated.

For so-called autonomous employees, you should avoid open-ended language that suggests unlimited working time. Instead, define a reference workload and clarify that excessive hours must be approved in advance. This approach reduces the risk of later disputes over unpaid overtime or claims of overwork.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Djibouti

In Djibouti, full-time employment is generally based on the statutory 48-hour workweek for adults, usually spread over 6 days at 8 hours per day. Many employers, however, adopt a 40–44 hour week through company policy or collective agreements to remain competitive and support work–life balance. Any schedule significantly below the statutory norm should be clearly labeled as part-time in the employment contract.

When you implement part-time or reduced-hours arrangements, you must prorate pay, benefits, and leave entitlements according to the agreed working time. Ensure that part-time staff do not regularly work beyond their contracted hours without written authorization, as repeated excess hours may be recharacterized as full-time work. Clear documentation of status and hours helps avoid misclassification issues.

Overtime Regulations In Djibouti

Overtime in Djibouti arises when employees work beyond the statutory 48 hours per week or beyond the normal daily schedule set in the contract or collective agreement. You are required to track all hours worked, including extra time before or after shifts, and to keep records that can be produced to the labour inspectorate. Non-compliance with overtime rules exposes you to back-pay claims, administrative fines, and potential criminal sanctions in serious cases.

What Counts As Overtime In Djibouti?

Overtime generally includes any hours worked beyond 8 hours in a day or 48 hours in a week for adult employees, unless a specific arrangement lawfully redistributes hours over a reference period. Work performed on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime and attracts higher pay rates. You should obtain prior authorization for overtime and clearly distinguish it from flexible scheduling within the normal weekly limit.

In practice, you should define standard daily and weekly hours in each contract and in your internal policies, so that any excess is easy to identify as overtime. Where employees are called in unexpectedly, such as for emergencies or breakdowns, you must still record the additional hours and apply the correct premium rates. Clear approval workflows help prevent unauthorized overtime that later becomes payable.

Maximum Overtime In Djibouti

Djibouti’s Labour Code limits overtime to 2 hours per day and 12 hours per week under normal circumstances, meaning the total weekly working time should not exceed 60 hours. Over a calendar year, overtime is generally capped at 120 hours per employee, unless a specific authorization from the labour authorities allows an increase. Any request for extension must justify operational necessity and demonstrate that employee health and safety will not be compromised.

As an employer, you should implement systems that automatically flag when an employee approaches the 12-hour weekly or 120-hour annual overtime thresholds. If you anticipate sustained peaks in workload, consider hiring additional staff or reorganizing shifts instead of relying on continuous overtime. This not only ensures legal compliance but also reduces fatigue-related risks and potential liability for workplace accidents.

Overtime Payout Rates In Djibouti

In Djibouti, overtime hours worked on a normal working day are typically paid at a minimum premium of 25% above the regular hourly rate, meaning at least 1.25x the base wage. When overtime is performed at night or on the weekly rest day, the premium commonly increases to 50%, or 1.5x the base wage, under prevailing practice and many collective arrangements. Work performed on a public holiday is usually compensated at 100% premium, or 2.0x the base hourly rate.

If your sectoral agreement or company policy provides higher rates than these minimums, you must apply the more favorable terms to employees. You should clearly state overtime rates in employment contracts and payslips, showing the number of overtime hours and the multiplier applied. Transparent calculations reduce disputes and demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Djibouti

In Djibouti, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect health within this framework. During any workday that exceeds a set number of continuous hours, employees must receive a meal break and sufficient time away from their workstation. Weekly and daily rest rules complement these limits by ensuring employees can recover between shifts.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, which should be scheduled roughly in the middle of the work period.
• Daily Rest: Workers are generally entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest between the end of one workday and the start of the next, and you should avoid scheduling split shifts that undermine this rest.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Friday or Sunday in Djibouti, and any work on this day should trigger substitute rest and overtime premiums.
• Minors: Young workers under 18 benefit from stricter limits on daily hours and must receive longer rest periods and more frequent breaks to protect their development and safety.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for organizing schedules so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, and for documenting compliance in case of labour inspections or disputes.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Djibouti

Night and weekend work are legal in Djibouti but they come with additional responsibilities for employers and enhanced protections for employees. You must pay particular attention to working-time limits, health and safety, and appropriate compensation when organizing such schedules. Proper planning and documentation are essential to demonstrate that you have mitigated the risks associated with atypical hours.

Night work in Djibouti is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 05:00, although collective agreements may define a slightly different window provided it covers at least 7 consecutive night hours. This definition applies across most roles, including manufacturing, security, hospitality, and transport, unless a specific sectoral rule states otherwise. You should clearly identify in contracts and rosters which employees are classified as night workers.

• Premium Pay: Djiboutian law does not set a mandatory numerical night work premium, so there is no statutory percentage such as 25% or 1.25x required by default, and night work compensation is typically determined by collective agreements or company policy, which often provide premiums in the range of 20–30% above the base rate.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should be offered periodic health assessments to monitor fatigue, sleep disorders, and other risks associated with night schedules, and you should adjust duties or shifts if medical advice indicates that night work is unsuitable.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work except in narrowly defined circumstances, and pregnant workers should be reassigned to daytime duties or granted leave if night work poses a health risk.

Weekend work, including work on the designated weekly rest day, is permitted in Djibouti but must remain exceptional and justified by operational needs. Employees who work on their weekly rest day must receive a substitute rest period of at least 24 consecutive hours and, in many collective arrangements, a premium of at least 50% above the normal rate, or 1.5x pay, for those hours. You should clearly track and compensate weekend work to avoid disputes and ensure compliance.