Working Hours and Overtime in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, 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 needs through 2026, you should ensure that contracts, rosters, and timekeeping systems reflect the statutory 8-hour day and 48-hour week, apply lawful overtime premiums, and protect daily and weekly rest. Regulators are increasingly focused on accurate time records, fair compensation for extra hours, and the prevention of excessive or unsafe schedules, so you should regularly review your policies, audit payroll data, and train managers on scheduling rules and employee consent requirements.

• 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 Ethiopia?

An employee whose age is 14 or younger has a maximum of 7 hours per day and 42 hours per week. An employee whose age is 15 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 5 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Ethiopia

Under Ethiopian labour law, the general limit for normal working time is 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. You should usually schedule these hours over 6 days, with shorter hours on one or more days if your operations require flexibility. Daily hours can be arranged in split shifts, but the total normal hours may not exceed the statutory daily and weekly limits, and you must still provide the required meal break and daily rest.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Agriculture And Seasonal Farm Work
• Hospitality, Hotels, And Restaurants
• Transport, Logistics, And Aviation
• Security, Guarding, And Surveillance Services
• Health Care And Emergency Services
• Continuous-Process Manufacturing And Utilities

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Certain senior managerial employees and employees who perform work of a supervisory or trust nature may have more flexible schedules in practice, but they are not automatically exempt from all working-time protections. You should clearly define managerial status in employment contracts and internal policies, and ensure that any extended hours are reasonable, respect health and safety obligations, and comply with overtime and rest rules unless a specific legal exemption applies. Even for managers, you should monitor workloads, avoid excessive hours, and document consent for irregular schedules.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Ethiopia

Full-time employment in Ethiopia is generally based on the statutory maximum of 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. When designing work schedules, you should align standard contracts with this benchmark, specifying normal daily and weekly hours, the distribution of hours across the week, and how work on weekends or public holidays will be handled. Part-time arrangements should clearly state the reduced hours and how overtime will be calculated once the employee exceeds their agreed schedule or the statutory thresholds.

Overtime Regulations In Ethiopia

What Counts As Overtime In Ethiopia?

In Ethiopia, overtime is generally any time an employee works beyond the normal 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week that you have scheduled as standard working time. Overtime can arise from extended shifts, additional days worked, or work performed on weekly rest days and public holidays. To treat hours as overtime, they must be requested or accepted by you as the employer, recorded accurately, and compensated at the applicable premium rate. You should establish a clear policy requiring prior authorization for overtime and explaining how employees record and claim those hours.

Maximum Overtime In Ethiopia

Ethiopian labour rules aim to prevent excessive overtime that could endanger employee health and safety. While short-term peaks in workload can justify additional hours, you should limit overtime to exceptional situations, such as urgent repairs, seasonal demand, or unforeseen operational needs. As a best practice, avoid scheduling more than 2–4 hours of overtime per day and ensure that weekly totals remain reasonable when combined with normal hours, always preserving the employee’s daily and weekly rest periods. You should also monitor overtime patterns to ensure that it does not become a permanent substitute for adequate staffing.

Overtime Payout Rates In Ethiopia

Overtime work in Ethiopia must be paid at a premium above the employee’s regular hourly wage. Higher rates typically apply for overtime performed at night, on weekly rest days, and on public holidays. You should calculate the employee’s basic hourly rate from their regular salary, then apply the relevant percentage increase for each overtime hour worked, ensuring that the resulting amount is clearly itemized on the payslip. Your internal policies and employment contracts should describe the applicable overtime multipliers, how they are calculated, and how employees can verify their overtime records.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Ethiopia

Employees in Ethiopia typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and you must organize rest periods and breaks so that these hours do not compromise health, safety, or productivity. This includes providing a minimum uninterrupted meal break during longer shifts, ensuring sufficient time off between the end of one workday and the start of the next, and guaranteeing at least one full day of weekly rest. Your scheduling practices should integrate these rest entitlements directly into rosters, including for shift, night, and weekend work.

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