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St Lucia EOR & PEO

Start hiring in St Lucia

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Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons EOR & PEO

Hire in St Lucia

Hiring in St Lucia can be a great decision for businesses that are interested in expanding their workforce. This Caribbean island offers a skilled labor pool and a business-friendly environment. St Lucia has a population of around 180,000 people, with a literacy rate of over 90%, meaning it has a very well-educated workforce.

The country’s economy is led by tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing, providing many different opportunities for various industries. Also, St Lucia’s government has implemented policies to attract foreign investment, making it easier for businesses to enter the market and grow their operations.

Understanding the local labor market and legal requirements is very important when hiring in St Lucia. By partnering with a St Lucia Employer of Record (EOR), you will be able to streamline your hiring process, stay compliant with local laws, and focus on your primary business activities.

Facts & Stats

EOR Platform

Hire in St Lucia, and pay employees through our platform or app.

EOR Cost

Our St Lucia EOR solution is the most affordable on the market.

Time-to-hire

Fast St Lucia onboarding, hire in as little as 24 hours.

Contracts

We draft compliant St Lucia labor contracts.

Local benefits

We manage all St Lucia mandatory benefits.

180+ Countries

It doesn’t stop with St Lucia — we hire employees globally.

hire employees in St Lucia

What Is a St Lucia EOR?

A St Lucia Employer of Record is a third-party organization that takes on all of the legal responsibilities of employing workers in St Lucia on behalf of your business. This means they handle everything from payroll to compliance with the local labor laws.

In simple terms, an EOR becomes the official employer for your workers in St Lucia, even though they work for you. The EOR ensures that all employment regulations are strictly followed, so that you don’t have to worry about the hassles of the legalities.

The terms “employer of record” and “professional employer organization” (PEO) are often used interchangeably. Both refer to companies that manage employee-related tasks for other businesses, so you can focus on running your business.

Save Money And Time with A St Lucia EOR

What Are the Benefits of a St Lucia EOR?

Using a St Lucia Employer of Record can provide many different benefits such as:

  1. Legal compliance: An EOR ensures that your business complies with St Lucia’s labor laws and regulations. They handle all the legal details, so you don’t have to worry about paying fines or dealing with legal issues.
  2. Simplified hiring: The EOR manages the hiring process. This makes it easy to quickly bring on new employees. They take care of contracts, onboarding, and other administrative tasks.
  3. Payroll management: An EOR processes payroll and ensures that your employees are paid on time. They also deal with all employment taxes, which can be complicated when working in a foreign country.
  4. Benefit administration: The EOR administers employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans. This helps you offer your employees competitive packages to both attract and retain top talent.
  5. Focus on core business: By outsourcing your employment responsibilities to an EOR, you can focus on your main business activities. This gives you the opportunity to grow your business without getting bogged down in administrative tasks.
  6. Minimizing risk: The EOR assumes many of the risks associated with employment, such as compliance with labor laws and handling any disputes that arise. This reduces your liability and helps protect your business.
Horizons is Best IN Class

Why Choose Horizons?

Horizons stands out as a St Lucia EOR through:

  1. A strong regional presence in North America, meaning senior management are on the ground to deal with any issues.
  2. Client-focused infrastructure. Horizons won’t oversell you on products and services you don’t need. Horizons offers the easiest platform to compliantly hire and pay people worldwide.
  3. Cost-effective solutions. At $499 per employee, per month, no EOR in St Lucia is more affordable. The cost is 100% transparent (onboarding, offboarding, deposit, no extra charges).
  4. A customer-first culture. Horizons is an efficient bootstrapped company. It is not an externally-funded company burning investor cash to aggressively acquire new clients. Horizons is the only EOR that grows with its customer, reflecting the level of care and personal attention provided to each customer. Horizons will carefully advise on the best setup in each country: the type of contract needed, how to structure your benefits, and how to offboard a person while minimizing the risk of conflicts and extra cost
  5. A long-term partnership. Horizons is the only EOR platform with a recruitment arm — a direct response to client demand. If any employee is leaving, or if our clients want to explore a new country, Horizons can recruit new candidates directly for the client.  Horizons is:
    • The only EOR doing this in-house — no subcontracting
    • The only EOR doing this without a retainer — clients are only charged upon success
    • The only EOR charging just a 2% fee per month
Step-by-step St Lucia EOR

How Does a St Lucia EOR Work?

A St Lucia Employer of Record simplifies the employment process for your business. Here’s how it works:

  1. Hire your employees: The EOR hires employees on your behalf. You find the talent, and they take care of the paperwork. The EOR becomes the legal employer, but your employees work for you. This means you can focus on selecting the best candidates without worrying about all of the legal hassles. The EOR ensures that all employment contracts comply with St Lucia’s labor laws, protecting both you and your employees.
  2. Manage employment contracts and onboarding: The EOR handles all employment contracts, ensuring they meet local legal standards. They draft, review, and manage these contracts to ensure they are legally sound. Once the contract is in place, the EOR also manages the onboarding process. They take care of all necessary documentation and any red tape, making it easy for new hires to start working right away. This includes setting up employee records, explaining company policies, and providing any of the necessary training or orientation procedures.
  3. Process payroll and handle employment taxes: The EOR manages payroll, making sure employees are paid accurately and on time. They calculate wages, withhold the correct amount of taxes, and ensure that all deductions are made according to St Lucia’s specific tax laws. This includes handling income tax, social security contributions, and any other mandatory deductions. The EOR ensures compliance with local tax laws, so you don’t have to deal with the difficulties of complex tax regulations or worry about fines.
  4. Administer benefits: The EOR administers employee benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. They make sure your employees receive the benefits they are entitled to, which helps you attract the best possible talent. The EOR manages the enrollment process, answers any questions that the employees might have about their benefits, and ensures that all the benefits are properly provided in compliance with the local regulations. This includes managing contributions, processing claims, and keeping up with any changes in benefits laws.
  5. Take care of exit procedures: If an employee leaves, the EOR manages the exit process. They handle all necessary paperwork and ensure compliance with local laws regarding termination and severance packages. This includes processing final paychecks, managing any required notice periods, and handling severance pay if needed. The EOR ensures that all exit procedures are conducted smoothly and legally, protecting your business from any possible disputes. They also manage the return of company property and ensure that any post-employment obligations are clear to the departing employee.
stay compliant with St Lucia labor laws

Labor Laws

One of the principal reasons for engaging an EOR in St Lucia is to ensure full compliance with St Lucia’s employment laws. Here we explain in detail how a St Lucia EOR ensures:

  1. Compliance with St Lucia employment contract requirements
  2. Compliance with working hours, national holiday provisions, and St Lucia social security requirements.

Employment contract types

In St Lucia, employment contracts are either permanent or fixed-term. Permanent contracts are for ongoing work with no end date. These provide job security and benefits like health insurance and retirement plans. Fixed-term contracts are for a specific period and are often used for temporary projects or seasonal work. These contracts clearly state the start and end dates, and may not include the same benefits as permanent contracts. Both types of employment contracts must completely comply with local labor laws and must outline job duties, salary, and working conditions to protect both the employer and the employee.

Project-based

Probationary period

No probationary period.

Termination

At completion of the project.

Severance

Not applicable

Fixed-term

Probationary period

Not applicable

Termination notice period

2 weeks

Severance

Not applicable

Indefinite

Probationary period

Typically up to 3 months

Termination notice period

30 days

Severance

1 week's salary per year of service

Working hours in St Lucia

Standard working hours in St Lucia are usually 40 hours per week, spread over five days. Most businesses operate from Monday to Friday, with each workday lasting eight hours. Employees are entitled to a one-hour lunch break, and employers must ensure that no one works more than the legal maximum of 48 hours per week, including overtime. Overtime work is allowed but should be compensated at a higher rate, usually 1.5 times the regular hourly wage. Employers must also make sure that employees have at least one full day of rest per week.

Overtime must be compensated in the following way:

For a regular workday:

150% of the standard hourly rate

For a rest day:

200% of the standard hourly rate

For a statutory holiday:

200% of the standard hourly rate

St Lucia has a range of national public holidays that are celebrated annually. In 2024 these holidays are:
Date Holiday name
1 Jan, 2024 New Year’s Day
22 Feb, 2024 Independence Day
29 Mar, 2024 Good Friday
1 Apr, 2024 Easter Monday
1 May, 2024 May Day
20 May, 2024 Whit Monday
30 May, 2024 Corpus Christi
1 Aug, 2024 Emancipation Day
7 Oct, 2024 Thanksgiving Day
13 Dec, 2024 National Day
25 Dec, 2024 Christmas Day
26 Dec, 2024 Boxing Day

Paid time off

Employees in St Lucia are entitled to paid time off as part of their employment benefits. This includes vacation leave, which is typically 14 days per year for full-time employees after one year of service. PTO also covers public holidays, which are fully paid days off. Employers can offer additional PTO as part of their benefits package. It’s important for employers to clearly outline PTO policies in their employment contract, including how leave is accrued and how much notice is required for taking time off.

Under 1 year of employment

no leave entitlement

1-10 years of employment

14 days of paid leave annually

10-20 years of employment

14 days of paid leave annually

20+ years of employment

14 days of paid leave annually

Sick leave in St Lucia

Sick leave in St Lucia ensures that employees can take time off when they are ill without losing pay. Full-time employees are generally entitled to up to 14 days of paid sick leave per year. To qualify for paid sick leave, employees usually need to provide a medical certificate after a certain number of days off, which is typically two days. Sick leave policies should be clearly stated in the employment contract, including the process for notifying the employer and any documentation that is required.

Less than 6 months of sick leave:

(percentage of regular wages owed to the employee)

Under 1 year of employment

no leave entitlement

1-10 years of employment

14 days of paid leave annually

10-20 years of employment

14 days of paid leave annually

20+ years of employment

14 days of paid leave annually

Over 6 months of sick leave

Under 1 year of employment

Unpaid but may be eligible for sickness benefits through the NIC.

1-3 years of employment

Unpaid but may be eligible for sickness benefits through the NIC.

3+ years of employment

Unpaid but may be eligible for sickness benefits through the NIC.

In order for employees to receive the full wages due to them, workers must present a valid medical certificate from a certified doctor to their employer.

Maternity leave in St Lucia

Female employees are entitled to 13 weeks of maternity leave, with the possibility of extending the leave by an additional 6 weeks in case of complications arising from childbirth. 

Paternity leave in Saint Lucia is not as universally established as maternity leave. However, under some employment contracts or through collective bargaining agreements, male employees may be entitled to up to 2 weeks of paternity leave.

Annual leave in St Lucia

Annual leave in St Lucia is a benefit provided to employees to ensure they have time to rest and recharge. Full-time employees are entitled to a minimum of 14 days of paid annual leave each year after completing one year of service. Employers can offer more generous leave policies, but 14 days is the legal minimum. Annual leave should be scheduled in advance and agreed upon by both the employer and employee. Unused leave may sometimes be carried over to the next year, depending on the company policy.

Termination & severance in St Lucia

Employers must provide notice or payment in lieu of notice, with the length of notice depending on the employee’s tenure. For employees with less than one year of service, the notice period is usually one week. For longer tenures, the notice period increases. Severance pay is required for employees who are terminated without cause, usually amounting to one week’s pay for each year of service. Employers must also provide a written reason for termination and follow the due process.

St Lucia's compulsory social security contributions

In Saint Lucia, social security contributions are managed by the National Insurance Corporation (NIC). These contributions fund various benefits, including pensions, sickness benefits, and maternity benefits. The total contribution to the NIC (both employee and employer portions) amounts to 10% of the employee’s gross earnings.

St Lucia social security for foreigners

Social security contributions are typically applicable to all workers employed in Saint Lucia, including expatriates. However, certain agreements or treaties might affect contributions or benefits for foreign workers.

Individual income tax

The income tax system is progressive, meaning that tax rates increase with higher income levels. Rates ranges from 0% to 30% depending on the salary bracket.

Health insurance

While public healthcare services are available, they may not cover all medical needs, especially for specialized treatments. Private health insurance can help bridge this gap.

The NIC provides limited health-related benefits, such as sickness benefits and maternity benefits, but it does not operate as a comprehensive health insurance provider. 

Private health insurance plans cover a broad range of medical services, including hospital stays, doctor visits, surgeries, prescription medications, and sometimes dental and vision care. Expatriates living in Saint Lucia often opt for international health insurance plans that provide coverage both in Saint Lucia and abroad. 

hassle-free St Lucian compensation & benefits

Compensation & Benefits

St Lucia compensation laws

In St Lucia, compensation laws ensure fair pay for employees. The minimum wage has been mandated at $1,126 per month. Wages must be paid regularly, typically bi-weekly or monthly. Overtime work should be compensated at 1.5 times the regular hourly rate. Also, it is important to note that all employees are entitled to equal pay for equal work, regardless of gender or other discrimination factors. These laws protect workers and help maintain a fair labor market.

13 month salary in St Lucia

The 13th month salary is a common practice in St Lucia, where employees receive an extra month’s pay at the end of the year. This bonus is usually paid in December and is equivalent to one month’s salary. It is an incentive and reward for employees, helping with holiday expenses. While it isn’t mandated by law, many employers offer the 13th month salary to remain competitive and attract the best talent.

Social security for St Lucian nationals

In St Lucia, social security contributions are mandatory for both employers and employees. These contributions fund benefits like pensions, unemployment insurance, and health care. Employers contribute 5% of an employee’s salary to the National Insurance Corporation (NIC), while employees contribute 5% as well. This system ensures that employees have financial support in cases of retirement, illness, or job loss. Employers are responsible for deducting and submitting these contributions regularly to stay compliant with the law.

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Hire in St Lucia in 24h without your own local entity.

With Horizons, you get quick service, transparent pricing, and expert support.

Frequently asked questions

An Employer of Record in St Lucia ensures compliance with local labor laws by staying up-to-date with all regulations and legal requirements. They handle all employment-related legalities, including contracts, payroll, taxes, and benefits. By managing these aspects, the EOR ensures that your business adheres to St Lucia’s labor laws, reducing the risk of fines or legal issues. Their expertise in local regulations helps you avoid common issues and ensures your operations run as smoothly as possible.

Using an EOR for hiring in St Lucia offers several benefits. It simplifies the hiring process by handling all legal and administrative tasks, such as payroll and taxes. This allows you to focus on your core business activities. An EOR also ensures compliance with local labor laws, reducing your risk of legal issues. It also allows you to hire local talent without the need to set up a local entity, providing flexibility and scalability for your business.

What to expect when you connect with Horizons

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