As a business owner, you know that your workforce forms the foundation of a successful company. When you expand to a new country, you’ll need to find talent that supports your professional vision. Globalization Partners will help you remain compliant while you build the labor force you need to thrive by hiring and recruiting Eritrea workers.
The Recruitment Process in Eritrea
Eritrea labor laws do not have specific licensing requirements for recruitment. Employers have the right to hire a job seeker to handle recruitment processes for them, but they’re also permitted to manage the process themselves.
The recruitment process should start with identifying the vacancies you need to fill and writing descriptions for each position. You might choose to create a template for your descriptions to reference any time you need to post a job opening.
Your job descriptions should include a summary of tasks, required education and experience, and necessary skills for the positions. You can also include a short explanation of your company and its mission. This point may encourage people to apply.
After creating your descriptions, you can advertise them and garner attention from candidates. The most widely spoken languages in the country are Tigrinya, Arabic, and English, so you might consider creating job ads in all three languages.
Your recruitment plan should include an interview process. Whether you plan to conduct a round of phone interviews and then meet select candidates in person or only request an in-person interview, you should set these intentions ahead of time. Make sure you have a location to conduct your interviews.
The questions you ask in your interviews will tell you what you want to know about your candidates. Create questions that reveal professional skills and personality traits, since these factors will both play a role in your experience with your new employees. Once you’ve interviewed the candidates you’re interested in, you’re ready to choose your new workers and move into the hiring process.
Where to Find Talent
Finding talent can be one of the more challenging steps in the recruitment process. When you’re in an unfamiliar country, you may not be sure where to look for workers that have experience in your industry.
Effectively advertising your vacancies will help you reach a broad audience and get attention from noteworthy talent. Posting to job sites like careersinafrica.com can help you reach people with online access. The internet is not as prevalent outside of Eritrea’s cities, so you should also consider more traditional advertisement methods like flyers and newspaper ads.
How to Hire Eritrea Employees
Your first step in hiring your new employees is creating contracts. The Labor Proclamation requires written employment contracts for any service lasting longer than a year, but it’s best practice to have a well-written contract regardless of the employment terms.
You should write your agreements in Tigrinya, and they should include all relevant information about the position, such as:
- The start date and end date if applicable
- The location of employment
- Your termination policy
- Hours of work
- A calculation of wages and a payment schedule
All wages information should use Eritrean nakfa, the country’s currency. To make your contract binding, your employee must sign or thumbprint the document with you and two other witnesses present.
During your contract signing, you should also request your new hire’s tax identification number (TIN). You’ll need this ID to file Pay As You Earn (PAYE) income tax.
Employment Compliance
As an employer, it’s your responsibility to maintain all standards and requirements outlined in Eritrea’s labor laws. These requirements include benefits like annual leave, sick time, maternity provisions, severance pay, and overtime compensation. Your contracts should meet exceed the minimum requirements covered in the country’s Labor Proclamation.
The labor regulations also allow for collective agreements, which may set further requirements for your company or industry. It’s vital to remain informed about collective agreement terms so you can include these in your company provisions.
Beyond benefits and compensation requirements, you should remain aware of anti-discrimination laws. It is illegal to discriminate against a person on the grounds of:
- Race
- Color
- Social origin
- Nationality
- Sex
- Political orientation
- Religion
- Involvement in a labor association
This policy applies to recruitment and employment. It is best practice to avoid any interview questions about these personal qualities.
The Onboarding Process
When you’ve completed the hiring process, onboarding acts as a welcoming stage for your new employees, ensuring they feel comfortable with their positions. During this step, you might choose to fly into the country to greet your workers. Alternatively, you can trust an HR professional to lead onboarding.
Employers often use this time to review employment contracts and clarify any rights and responsibilities of new workers. Onboarding also offers an opportunity to create a code of conduct and establish a shared expectation for behavior in the workplace.
The most important part of your onboarding process is the training program. Regardless of the experience your new hires have, there will be processes unique to your business. Your training programs should cover these processes and ensure every worker knows how to handle their day-to-day responsibilities.
Training can last a few days or a few weeks. Some programs may cover basic procedures like clocking in and out or operating a cash register, while other programs might show employees how to work machinery or use software programs. Consider what skills your workers have and what processes are new to them as you establish a plan for training.
The Benefits of Hiring Outsourcing
When you’re ready to start hiring in a new country, it’s helpful to have an expert team at your side. Globalization Partners can help you navigate the ins and outs of recruiting and hiring. We’re here to make sure you have to talent you need to succeed. With us, you’ll gain:
- International expertise: We have connections in over 180 countries, and we understand the most effective recruitment processes in these areas.
- Onboarding guidance: Our HR professionals will guide you through the onboarding process to ensure your employees feel represented and your team is ready to meet performance expectations.
- Legal support: Our legal experts will help you draft employment contracts with ease. Contract templates ensure you meet every requirement in your country of expansion.
- Mitigated risk: As an Employer of Record, we’ll hire your talent through our subsidiary, making us wholly responsible for all legal liabilities.
Count on Globalization Partners for Hiring Outsourcing
Globalization Partners is your resource for expansion support in Eritrea and beyond. Our HR and legal experts will streamline your hiring processes to keep your company compliant and efficient. While we focus on the details, you can focus on growing your business. Reach out to our team to learn more.