Working Hours and Overtime in Somalia

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Somalia?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 36 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 5 consecutive hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Somalia

Somali labour law generally sets the standard working time at 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week for adult employees. You should structure work schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits, except where overtime is lawfully agreed and recorded. Any compressed or flexible schedule must still respect the 48-hour weekly ceiling on average.

Collective agreements or individual contracts may distribute hours unevenly across the week, provided the average does not exceed 48 hours over the agreed reference period. You remain responsible for tracking actual hours worked and ensuring that daily rest and weekly rest are not undermined by extended shifts. Written work schedules and timekeeping systems are essential to demonstrate compliance during inspections or disputes.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules that allow for longer shifts but require compensatory rest. In practice, this often means using shift systems where employees work more hours on some days and fewer on others, while keeping the weekly average within 48 hours. You should document any sector-based derogations clearly in contracts and internal policies.

• 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 also monitor fatigue risks and adjust rosters if extended shifts begin to erode safety or performance. Where national rules are silent, align your practices with international standards from the ILO and sectoral best practice.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff in Somalia may not be subject to the same strict hourly tracking as rank-and-file employees, but they are still protected by general health and safety principles. Their contracts often provide for a global salary that is deemed to cover a reasonable amount of additional hours beyond the standard 48-hour week. You should avoid drafting clauses that purport to waive all limits on working time, as these are likely to be considered invalid.

For professionals and supervisors, clearly define expected working patterns and any additional availability requirements, such as being on call. If their workload regularly exceeds what could reasonably be covered by a 48-hour week, consider adding explicit overtime or allowance provisions. Transparent expectations reduce the risk of later claims for unpaid hours or overwork.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Somalia

In Somalia, full-time employment is generally understood as 48 hours per week for adult workers, usually spread over 6 days at 8 hours per day. Many employers, especially in urban and international operations, choose to operate a 5-day week with 40 hours, treating any hours above that internal standard as overtime. You should specify in the employment contract what your organization considers full-time for pay and benefits purposes.

Part-time and reduced-hours arrangements are permitted as long as they are clearly documented and do not fall below minimum wage and social protection thresholds on a pro rata basis. You may also use flexible or shift-based schedules, provided that the average weekly hours for full-time staff do not exceed 48 and that rest periods are respected. Consistent internal definitions of full-time status help avoid disputes over eligibility for allowances and benefits.

Overtime Regulations In Somalia

Overtime in Somalia arises when employees work beyond the standard 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week, and you are responsible for authorizing and recording these excess hours. You should maintain accurate timesheets or electronic records that show start times, end times, breaks, and total daily hours for each employee. Failure to document overtime properly increases the risk of back-pay claims, disputes, and potential sanctions from labour authorities.

Internal policies should clearly state who may approve overtime, the applicable pay rates, and any limits on daily or weekly overtime. Communicate these rules in writing to employees and supervisors so that expectations are aligned and unauthorized overtime is minimized. Regular audits of time records and payroll calculations help ensure that overtime is paid correctly and on time.

What Counts As Overtime In Somalia?

In Somalia, overtime generally means any hours worked beyond 8 hours in a day or 48 hours in a week for adult employees. Work performed on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime, even if the total weekly hours remain at or below 48. You should define in contracts whether your internal standard week is 40 or 48 hours, as this affects when premium rates begin to apply in practice.

On-call time that requires the employee to remain at the workplace or be ready to work at short notice is usually counted as working time when calculating overtime. Travel time outside normal working hours that is directly connected to performing work duties may also be treated as working time. To avoid ambiguity, specify in your policies how you will treat standby periods, travel, and training time for overtime purposes.

Maximum Overtime In Somalia

Somali legislation does not provide a clearly defined numerical overtime cap comparable to some other jurisdictions, and there is no explicit weekly or annual statutory overtime limit. In practice, employers commonly limit overtime to no more than 2 hours per day and 12 hours per week, so that total working time does not exceed 10 hours per day or 60 hours per week. You should adopt internal caps at or below these levels to manage fatigue and demonstrate responsible working-time management.

Where operational needs are exceptional, such as emergencies or seasonal peaks, you may temporarily exceed your internal caps, but this should remain the exception and be well documented. No statutory overtime cap means you bear a higher duty to ensure that extended hours do not endanger employee health or breach general safety obligations. Implement approval workflows so that any overtime beyond 12 hours per week requires higher-level authorization and justification.

Overtime Payout Rates In Somalia

Somalia does not currently prescribe detailed statutory numerical overtime premiums in its labour legislation, so there is no legally mandated minimum such as 125% or 1.5x. In practice, many employers follow international norms and pay at least 125% (1.25x) of the regular hourly rate for weekday overtime beyond the standard schedule. You can adopt higher internal rates, but you should avoid paying less than 1.25x for overtime if you wish to remain competitive and fair.

For work performed on the weekly rest day or on public holidays, employers in Somalia commonly apply a premium of 150%–200% (1.5x–2.0x) of the regular hourly rate, with 150% (1.5x) as a minimum benchmark. Night overtime that falls between the designated night hours is often compensated at a combined premium of 150% (1.5x), reflecting both overtime and night work, even though this is not expressly mandated by statute. Whatever rates you choose, set them clearly in contracts and payroll rules, and apply them consistently to avoid discrimination or disputes.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Somalia

In Somalia, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to ensure that these hours do not compromise health and safety. During the working day, employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours should receive at least a 30-minute meal break, which does not count as working time if they are fully relieved of duties. Daily and weekly rest rules complement these limits by guaranteeing uninterrupted time away from work.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 5 consecutive hours in Somalia should receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, which may be unpaid if they are free from all duties. You should schedule this break roughly in the middle of the work period to reduce fatigue and maintain productivity.
• Daily Rest: A minimum daily rest period of 11 consecutive hours between shifts is recommended in Somalia, in line with international standards. You should avoid scheduling back-to-back shifts that cut this rest below 11 hours, except in genuine emergencies with compensatory rest.
• Weekly Rest: Employees in Somalia are generally entitled to at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, commonly taken on Friday or Sunday depending on the sector. If business needs require work on the usual rest day, you should provide a substitute rest day within the same week.
• Minors: Workers under 18 in Somalia should have shorter daily hours, longer rest periods, and earlier finishing times than adults. You should avoid scheduling minors for night work or split shifts that interfere with schooling or recovery time.
• Employer Duty: Employers in Somalia must organize work so that breaks, daily rest, and weekly rest are actually taken, not just written into policy. You should monitor rosters and time records to ensure that operational pressures do not erode these protections.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Somalia

Night and weekend work are legal in Somalia but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay particular attention to fatigue, safety, and fair compensation when scheduling staff outside normal daytime hours. Clear policies and transparent pay structures are essential to manage these non-standard working patterns.

Night work in Somalia is commonly defined as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, although specific contracts or sectoral rules may refine this window. Any employee whose schedule regularly falls within this 8-hour night period should be treated as a night worker for health and safety purposes. You should identify such roles explicitly and assess whether additional safeguards are needed.

• Premium Pay: There is no statutory night work premium expressly set in Somali law, so no fixed percentage such as 25% is mandated. However, many employers voluntarily pay a night premium of at least 20%–30% (1.2x–1.3x) of the regular hourly rate for hours worked between 22:00 and 06:00 to attract and retain staff.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers in Somalia should receive periodic health assessments, particularly for sleep disorders, cardiovascular risks, and stress. You can arrange annual or biannual medical checks and adjust schedules or reassign employees if night work is found to harm their health.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 in Somalia should not be employed in night work, especially in hazardous sectors such as construction, security, or manufacturing. Pregnant workers should be exempted from night shifts upon medical recommendation, and you should offer alternative daytime duties where possible.

Weekend work in Somalia is permitted, and many businesses operate on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday depending on their sector and clientele. Where Friday or Sunday is treated as the weekly rest day, employees who work on that day should receive a substitute 24-hour rest period and, in practice, a premium of at least 150% (1.5x) of the regular hourly rate for those hours. You should define in your policies which day is the standard weekly rest day and what premium applies to weekend and rest-day work.