Working Hours and Overtime in Ivory Coast

In Ivory Coast, 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.

To remain compliant through 2026, you should formalize working time policies that reflect statutory and collective bargaining rules, accurately track hours worked, and proactively manage overtime so it remains exceptional rather than routine. Regulators are increasingly focused on health and safety, fatigue risk, and the protection of vulnerable workers, so you can expect continued enforcement of limits on daily and weekly hours, night work, and rest periods, along with potential updates to sector-specific rules and digital timekeeping expectations.

• 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 Ivory Coast?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 40 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 Ivory Coast

Under Ivorian labor law, the statutory working time for most private sector employees is 40 hours per week, usually spread over 5 days. Daily working time is commonly limited to around 8 hours, excluding unpaid meal breaks. You should structure schedules so that employees do not regularly exceed these limits, except under clearly defined overtime arrangements. Any work performed beyond the contractual or statutory weekly limit is generally treated as overtime and must be compensated accordingly.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Agriculture And Seasonal Activities
• Hotels, Restaurants, And Tourism Services
• Transport, Logistics, And Port Operations
• Healthcare And Emergency Services
• Security, Surveillance, And Guard Services
• Continuous Process Manufacturing And Utilities

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain categories of autonomous employees may be subject to more flexible working time arrangements. In practice, these employees are often engaged on a flat-rate or all-inclusive salary that takes into account longer or irregular hours. However, you should not assume that all managers are automatically exempt from working time protections. Clearly define managerial status in employment contracts, document the scope of autonomy, and ensure that workloads remain reasonable to avoid claims of disguised overtime or excessive working hours.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Ivory Coast

Full-time employment in Ivory Coast is generally based on a 40-hour workweek. Collective bargaining agreements or company policies may set shorter weekly hours, but they cannot lawfully exceed the statutory ceiling. When designing work schedules, you should specify the distribution of hours across the week, the start and end times of each workday, and how breaks are handled. Any systematic use of hours beyond the full-time standard should be tracked as overtime and remunerated or compensated with time off in accordance with applicable law and collective agreements.

Overtime Regulations In Ivory Coast

What Counts As Overtime In Ivory Coast?

Overtime in Ivory Coast is generally any working time performed beyond the statutory or contractually agreed weekly limit of 40 hours for full-time employees. Work performed outside the normal daily schedule, on weekly rest days, or on public holidays will typically qualify as overtime or premium hours, provided it is requested or accepted by the employer. You should implement a clear written policy that defines when overtime is authorized, how it is recorded, and how it is compensated, and ensure that employees do not work additional hours informally or off the clock.

Maximum Overtime In Ivory Coast

Ivorian labor rules and collective agreements usually cap the amount of overtime that can be performed within a given day, week, or year to protect employee health and safety. While specific limits can vary by sector, a common approach is to restrict overtime to a modest number of hours per week and to impose an annual ceiling, beyond which special authorization from the labor authorities or worker representatives may be required. As an employer, you should monitor cumulative overtime closely, obtain any necessary approvals, and avoid patterns of excessive hours that could be considered abusive or non-compliant.

Overtime Payout Rates In Ivory Coast

Overtime hours in Ivory Coast must be paid at a higher rate than normal working hours. Typical frameworks provide percentage increases over the employee’s regular hourly wage, with higher premiums for work performed at night, on weekly rest days, or on public holidays. For example, overtime on ordinary days may attract a lower premium, while work on Sundays or public holidays may be paid at significantly higher rates. Where a collective bargaining agreement applies, you must follow the more favorable overtime multipliers and conditions it sets. In some cases, compensatory time off may be granted instead of cash payment, but only if this is permitted by law or collective agreement and clearly agreed with the employee.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Ivory Coast

Employees in Ivory Coast typically work around 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and the law links rest periods and breaks directly to these working hours. As an employer, you must ensure that employees receive adequate meal breaks during the workday, daily rest between shifts, and weekly rest days so that the overall pattern of work remains safe, healthy, and compliant with statutory working time limits.

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