Honduras: Hiring workers by the hour

Next month, the Honduran Congress will begin debate on the extension of the National Program for Hourly Employment (Programa Nacional de Empleo por Hora), which began in November, 2010, and which expires in November of this year.

Approved for the purpose of expediting the labor market, it is estimated that in the last two years, the program has created nearly 200,000 new jobs. The law has been implemented most succesfully in call centers, a sector which in recent years has increased significantly in Honduras.

Under the program, most of the rules stipulated in the Labor Code apply, such as minimum wage and payment of social security contributions.

However, the employer may take advantage of the program, to hire a worker for the number of hours that he or she needs, while incurring no obligation to pay severance when the contract period expires.

The minimum hiring period is three hours per month in urban areas and two hours in rural areas.

For more information please contact Adolfo Pineda at [email protected], or (504) 2221-1002