Employment and labor laws vary from country to country. This guide is intended to provide the most up to date information available. We will update this guide as needed when changes are made to the laws.
Employment Contracts
Employers are legally required to provide formal written contracts for all employees that include salary/wage, termination terms, job title, etc. The contracts must be written in Bengali and use the Bangladeshi Taka (BDT).
Working Hours
The standard workweek in Bangladesh consists of a maximum of 48 hours per week (for hourly paid). The standard workweek in consists of 8 hours a day.
Overtime
All work exceeding the standard working hours a week is to be paid as overtime and is regulated by employment contract/collective agreements up to a maximum of 10 hours per day and 60 hours per week.
Working Week
Sunday-Thursday
Public Holidays
Although Bangladesh has 21 days of national holidays each year, employees are only entitled to take 11 of them off as paid holidays, and it is the employer’s choice as to which ones.
For the year 2022:
- Feb 21: Shaheed Day
- Mar 17: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Birthday
- Mar 18: Shab e-Barat
- Mar 26: Independence Day
- Apr 14: Bengali New Year
- Apr 28: Laylat al-Qadr
- Apr 29: Jumatul Bidah
- May 1: May Day
- May 2: Eid ul-Fitr Holiday
- May 3: Eid ul-Fitr
- May 4: Eid ul-Fitr Holiday
- May 16: Buddha Purnima
- Jul 9: Eid ul-Adha Holiday
- Jul 10: Eid ul-Adha
- Jul 11: Eid ul-Adha Holiday
- Aug 9: Ashura
- Aug 15: National Mourning Day
- Aug 19: Shuba Janmashtami
- Oct 5: Vijaya Dashami
- Oct 9: Eid-e-Milad un-Nabi
- Dec 16: Victory Day
- Dec 25: Christmas Day
Paid Time Off
Employees are generally entitled to 10 days of paid annual leave, although this can vary by industry.
Sick Leave
Employees are generally entitled to 14 days of paid sick leave per year; however, this is an annual entitlement and cannot be carried over from year to year. All employees must present a medical certificate for all absences to receive sick leave and pay.
Maternity Leave
Female employees who have worked for at least six months are entitled to 8 weeks of paid maternity leave before birth and 8 weeks of paid leave after the birth paid by the employer. Women who have worked less than 6 months or who already have two other surviving children are generally eligible for unpaid leave. Women are also forbidden to work for 8 weeks after the birth of a child.
Paternity Leave
There is no paternity leave currently in Bangladesh, however, the government is reviewing this in 2022.
Parental Leave
There is no parental leave apart from maternity leave.
Employee Severance and Terminations
Termination Process
Employees with at least one year of service are generally entitled to one month’s notice or pay in lieu of notice, and 30 days’ salary for every year of service.
Notice Period
It is common for three weeks’ notice to be provided; however, this does differ by job role, industry, and seniority.
Severance Pay
Employees who have completed at least one year with an employer are entitled to severance pay of 30 days’ wages for each year worked.
Probation Period
Probation periods are generally six months for clerical employees and three months for other employees.
Payroll Cycle
In Bangladesh, the payroll cycle can be daily, weekly, bi-weekly and monthly. Employees’ salaries must be paid by the end of the seventh day after the final day on which the payment is due, according to Bangladesh’s Employee Rights and Labor Law. The same rules are applied to those employees whose employment has been ended by the employer.
13th Salary
There is no statutory requirement to provide a 13th salary.
VISA
All foreigners entering Bangladesh require a visa. There are many types of visas for prospective foreign nationals, including business, investor, employment, and NGO working visas. The duration of stay will be worked out by the embassy at which one is applying following review of required documentation, generally, a valid passport, two passport-size photographs, an application form, and the visa fee. If ex-pats are going to work in Bangladesh, a work permit is also required. Government bodies tasked with issuing these permits include the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority, and the NGO Affairs Bureau. The prospective employer will confirm which body to contact.
VAT
The standard rate of VAT in Bangladesh is 15%.