Belarus country information
On this page you´ll find detailed information about the Labor Code of Belarus, as well as some good-to-know facts about common practices for labor relations.
Labor code and labor relations
Probation period
The employer can establish a probation period of up to three months.
Notice period
The minimum notice period in Belarus is one month. The notice period can be regulated in the labor agreement of the employee.
Termination process
The Belarusian labor code sets out the terms of how employees can be terminated. Termination may be on the basis of the employee´s wish, mutual consent, or the employer´s initiative in case of reorganization of the company, changes in production requirements, or violation of the employment agreement's terms by the employee.
Severance pay
The amount of severance pay depends on the grounds on which the employee is terminated. It can be up to three months' pay depending on the situation. However usually there is no severance pay in case of termination by mutual consent or in case the term of the labor agreement runs out.
SICK days
Employees are required to present a medical certificate if they wish to receive compensation for sick leave. The Belarusian social security system compensates 80 % of the employee´s pay for days 1-12 of the sick leave and 70 % thereafter.
maternity leave
The length of the paid standard maternity leave in Belarus is 126 days. It can be extended for up to 140 days in some circumstances. On the employee´s wish, it can be extended for up to three years unpaid. In case of another birth during the unpaid period, the paid period restarts.
holidays
There are 9 public paid holidays in Belarus. Additionally, the labor code stipulates that employees must have at least 24 days of paid holidays, of which 14 need to be taken consecutively. The holiday pay for a day off is calculated as the average daily salary of the employee for the last 6 months.
payroll frequency
The normal payroll frequency in Belarus is once a month. In many cases employees may have their salary stipulated in a foreign currency such as EUR or USD. It must anyway be paid in the local currency, BYN. In these cases we recommend the employer take the exchange rate of the last day of the worked month, and pay the salary according to that rate.
non-compete agreements
Non-compete agreements are unfortunately not enforceable in Belarus in normal labor relations. The exception is in case a company is operating within the framework of the Belarusian High-Tech Park.
IP Protection
Intellectual property rights are difficult to enforce in Belarus. However employers and employees are generally free to stipulate IP protection clauses in their labor agreements.
working hours and overtime
Employees in Belarus usually work 40 hours a week. According to the labor code, overtime must be compensated as double pay. Additionally, overtime hours cannot exceed 4 hours a day, 10 hours a week, or 180 hours annually.
taxes
An employer of white-collar workers can expect to contribute 35 % in taxes on top of the employee´s gross salary. The employee on the other hand contributes 14 % of their gross salary as taxes in most situations.