COUNTRY

An employment contract in Lebanon may be written or oral. A written employment contract should be in Arabic. If the employee does not understand Arabic, then a translation of the contract should be attached to the employee’s Arabic contract.

Employment contracts in Lebanon should include:

• employer and employee information and addresses,

• start date,

• expiration date in the case of fixed-term contracts,

• job description,

• salary, payment method to a bank account, and payment intervals (once a month, or every two weeks), and

• the probation period, which cannot exceed three months.

Foreign employees require a work permit from the Ministry of National Economy to work in Lebanon.

The standard workweek in Lebanon is 48 hours, with 36 hours of rest every week, which is approximately eight hours per day with one hour of rest every day. Employees can work overtime but total work hours, regular plus overtime, cannot exceed 12 hours per day. The employer is required to inform the Social Affairs Service of any overtime the employee has worked within 24 hours.

The duration of sick leave in Lebanon is determined by an employee’s time of service. If sick leave exceeds 30 days and the employee requires more sick days, the additional days are deducted from the annual vacation leave days, provided that the deduction does not exceed eight days.

Female employees in Lebanon receive 10 weeks of paid maternity leave from their employer. Additionally, employees may be eligible to receive reimbursements for maternity care through Lebanon’s social security system. A male employee may be absent from work on the day of his child’s delivery but there is no entitlement to paternity leave in Lebanon.

Employers in Lebanon are not required to pay employees bonuses but may choose to do so.

Employees receive 15 days of paid annual leave in Lebanon after one year of service. The employer may determine when the leave is taken. Employees also receive two paid personal days in the event of a death in the family.

In Lebanon, the public holidays are:

• New Year’s Day

• Orthodox Christmas

• St. Maroun’s Day

• Rafik Hariri Memorial Day

• Annunciation Day

• Good Friday

• Easter Monday

• Orthodox Good Friday

• Orthodox Easter Monday

• Labor Day

• Martyrs’ Day

• Resistance and Liberation Day

• Eid al-Fitr

• Eid al-Adha

• Assumption of the Virgin Mary

• Islamic New Year

• Ashura

• The Prophet’s Birthday

• Independence Day

• Christmas Day

Primary healthcare is available in the form of public and private health insurance in Lebanon. Public health insurance is primarily funded by the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). The hospitalization costs of individuals who are not covered under public health insurance are covered by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH).

Either the employer or the employee may terminate an employment contract in Lebanon, which requires a written termination notice that clearly states the reasons for termination. During the notice period, employees are entitled to leave work an hour early every day to search for new employment. Termination notice cannot be given to pregnant employees, or during maternity, sick or vacation leaves. An employer may terminate a contract without notice or paying severance in certain specific situations.