Deadline approaches for employers to submit annual Mozambican Company Employee List

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Employers are reminded to submit their annual Mozambican Company Employee List (known locally as the Relação Nominal) to the Ministry of Labor by April 30.

What does the change mean? Employers that do not submit their annual Mozambican Company Employee List to the Ministry of Labor by April 30 will automatically be deemed non-compliant.

• Implementation time frame: April 30.
• Visas/permits affected: Long-term work permits.
• Who is affected: Companies recruiting and employing foreign workers in Mozambique.
• Business impact: Non-compliant employers will not be able to obtain new, or renew existing, long-term work permits until the necessary corrective action is taken.

Background: Employers are reminded to make the annual filing by April 30 or be deemed noncompliant by the Ministry of Labor.

In recent public comments, Mozambique’s Labor Minister separately emphasized that companies employing foreign nationals must comply with immigration regulations limiting foreign workers to jobs for which Mozambicans are unavailable and requiring skills to be transferred to local workers. The comments signal the intention of labor authorities to refocus on issues of localization and upskilling of the workforce and a likely increase in inspection and audit activity to scrutinize companies for violations.

Labor inspectors suspended over 1,000 foreign employees in 2015 for working illegally and there was significant media coverage in Mozambique last month when a South African national was deported and banned from returning to Mozambique for abusing Mozambican co-workers and using racial epithets.

BAL Analysis: Employers are reminded of the deadline to submit their Mozambican Company Employee List and should be aware of the current intensified enforcement environment.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

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