Working in Belarus

Due to the state-controlled economy of Belarus, 51.2% of the country’s population is employed through state-owned companies, such as Minsk Automobile Plant, Belarusian Railway, and Vysheyshashkola, among others.

Job Market

Being a former Soviet republic that still runs Soviet-era policies, the labor market of Belarus is highly regulated. The salary of workers can be affected by the tariff system of the government, which uses a centrally determined wage grid. The three major economic sectors where most Belarusians work are the services sector, industry, and agriculture.

To this day, Belarus still remains to be detached from other countries mainly because of the government’s authoritarian nature, largely influenced by Belarus being a former Soviet Union member. As such, there are very few employment opportunities for foreign nationals in Belarus, not to mention a small percentage of foreign investment in the country.

But in 2013, some Belarusian companies like Pedersen & Partners had a huge demand for top-performing expat managers from other countries. This is due to the shortage of qualified Belarusian administrative employees, which is attributed to the lack of business schools in Belarus that would produce prospective managers for such companies. Most of the foreign nationals who came for the executive position are from Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic countries.

Minimum Wage/Salary

As of September 2013, the Belarusian minimum salary for employees is 1,464,790 BYR or approximately €110/US$150 a month. The recent revision of the wages by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus is due to the increasing prices in the country.

Working Conditions

The standard working hours in Belarus is eight hours a day or forty hours per week, Mondays to Fridays. Most offices and businesses operate from 9AM to 6PM, while banks close at 5PM.

According to the Trade Union Federation of Belarus (TUFB), almost all Belarusian employees work on a fixed-term contract. Extension of this type of contract for an indefinite period of time is not exercised in Belarus, making labor migration to Russia by Belarusian workers a better option.

Income Tax

By law, all working Belarusian residents and non-residents are subject to pay an income tax of 12% every month. However, those employed in the High Technologies Park businesses only have to pay 9% as stated by the government. This is said to be a way of encouraging the IT sector of Belarus and improving its value-added business population.