Per the Employment Rights Act, employment contracts can be terminated by either party by providing prior notice. The notice period is applicable to employees who maintain continuous employment.
The notice required to be given by an employer to terminate the contract of employment of an hourly, daily or weekly paid employee who has been continuously employed for one year or more is no less than:
The notice required to be given by an employer to terminate the contract of employment of a bi-weekly paid employee who has been continuously employed for 1 year or more is not less than:
The notice required to be given by an employer to terminate the contract of employment of a monthly-paid employee who has been continuously employed for 1 year or more is not less than:
The notice required to be given by an employee who has been continuously employed for 1 year or more to terminate his contract of employment is not less than:
Barbados offers 2 types of work permits: short-term and long-term. Short-term work permits are valid for a period up to 11 months while long-term work permits are valid for up to 3 years. The employer or 'sponsor' has the responsibility to make the application on behalf of the employee.
According to the Bajan Holidays with Pay Act, employees are entitled to paid annual leave after they complete 1 year of employment. An employee who completes 1 year of employment with the same employer is entitled to a minimum of 3 weeks of annual leave. Employees who have been employed for 5 or more years are entitled to a minimum of 4 weeks of annual leave.
An employee may be granted more annual leave than is stipulated above if it's part of the employment contract, collective bargaining agreement, or is dictated by the employer.
Annual leave is given and taken in a single continuous period unless the employer and employee agree to a different arrangement. The employer determines the date the employee utilizes annual leave and provides no less than 14 days' notice.
The Bajan Shops Act sets the standard workweek at 40 hours per week (8 hours per day). Employees are also entitled to 2 days of rest per week which usually occur on Saturday and Sunday. Employees who work above the standard hours are eligible for overtime.
The Employment of Women Act provides 14 weeks of maternity leave to pregnant employees. In cases of multiple births from a single pregnancy, the maternity leave entitlement increases to a minimum of 17 weeks. To qualify, the employee must submit a certificate issued by a medical practitioner setting forth the expected date of her confinement or a certificate issued by a medical practitioner or a midwife setting forth the actual date of her confinement. Expectant employees may begin leave no more than 6 weeks prior to their expected due date. Maternity leave is available for employees who have been employed for at least 12 months.
If an employee suffers additional illness arising from pregnancy, additional leave is provided, not exceeding 6 weeks, as recommended by a medical practitioner.
The National Insurance Scheme of Barbados pays maternity benefits to pregnant insured employees who fulfill the eligibility criteria. The daily rate of maternity benefits is 100% of the insured person’s average insurable weekly earnings, divided by 6.
Employers in Barbados are required to pay employees at least the minimum wage. The current minimum wage is set as follows, effective from January 21, 2026:
Payroll frequency is determined by the employment contract, either weekly or monthly.
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