🇧🇫 Middle East & Africa

Burkina Faso

Employment-protection data from 2 official sources — composite scores, notice periods, severance, and dismissal rules.

ILO EPLex B-READY 2025
0.448 ILO EPLex composite (0–1)
OECD EPL →

Burkina Faso — the verdict

Burkina Faso's statutory protection against unfair dismissal is moderate — an ILO EPLex composite of 0.448 on the 0–1 scale, stronger than 58% of the 95 rated countries.

0.448
ILO EPLex composite (0–1)
58th
percentile — protection
59.1/100
B-READY labor quality

Sources: ILO EPLex · World Bank B-READY 2025. Higher = stronger statutory protection.

Burkina Faso carries moderate employment protection scores across the 2 international datasets we track (Middle East & Africa). The ILO EPLex composite (2019) stands at 0.448/1.0. B-READY 2025 labor regulation quality is 59.1/100. Statutory notice rules apply across 7 tenure tiers.

What the Data Shows for Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, located in Middle East & Africa, appears in 2 of the three employment-protection datasets tracked on PlainEmploy (ILO EPLex, World Bank B-READY 2025, and OECD EPL). The most recent ILO EPLex composite score is 0.448 out of 1.0 (2019), summarizing statutory termination rules into a single index. The World Bank B-READY 2025 overall labor score stands at 59.1/100, blending regulation quality, public services, and process efficiency.

Statutory notice periods in Burkina Faso scale with tenure across 7 tiers, reaching 1 month at 20 years of service. Severance pay can reach 6.75 months of salary at 20 years, while redundancy-specific pay is 6.75 months. The maximum probation period allowed by law is 2 months, defining how long employers can assess workers under reduced protection. In practice, the World Bank estimates a full dismissal process takes about 8.0 weeks from start to finish. Third-party approval for an individual dismissal is not required, which materially affects employer flexibility.

Labor disputes take an average of 2.3 months to resolve through formal channels. Roughly 6.0% of firms surveyed by the World Bank report experiencing labor disputes, signaling how frequently these rules are exercised. Employer social contributions equal 15.7% of salary, a meaningful cost layer on top of wages. The EPLex redress/reinstatement sub-indicator is 0.500/1.0, reflecting how strong remedies are when a dismissal is ruled unlawful. 6 direct country-vs-country comparisons are available below, letting you see how Burkina Faso stacks up against peers on the same metrics.

These figures draw on three different measurement traditions, so read each one on its own terms before comparing across countries. The ILO EPLex composite condenses statutory termination rules into a single index from zero to one, where higher numbers mean stronger legal protection against dismissal. The World Bank Business Ready 2025 labor score runs from zero to one hundred and blends the quality of regulation with how well public services and dispute processes actually work in practice. The OECD employment protection index uses a zero to six scale and only covers member economies, but it offers the longest historical series, which makes it the better choice for tracking reform over time. A country can score strictly on paper yet still process dismissals quickly, so always weigh the statutory index against the practical estimates. Where a country appears in fewer than all three datasets, treat the missing measures as not yet collected rather than as a sign of weak protection, and revisit this page when new releases are published because indicators can shift year over year.

Data Sources

2

ILO / WB / OECD coverage

Region

Middle East & Africa

Geographic grouping

Latest Year

2025

Most recent indicator update

Burkina Faso vs. every rated country

Where Burkina Faso's ILO EPLex composite sits among all 95 countries with a composite score.

Burkina Faso — ILO EPLex composite

Worker-protection strength against unfair dismissal (0–1 scale)

0.45 Top 42% higher than 58% of 95 rated countries

0.00–0.10: 0 rated countries (0%). Below this entry. 0.10–0.20: 1 rated countries (1%). Below this entry. 0.20–0.30: 8 rated countries (8%). Below this entry. 0.30–0.40: 26 rated countries (27%). Below this entry. 0.40–0.50: 39 rated countries (41%). This entry sits in this band. 0.50–0.60: 15 rated countries (16%). Above this entry. 0.60–0.70: 6 rated countries (6%). Above this entry. 0.70–0.80: 0 rated countries (0%). Above this entry. 0.80–0.90: 0 rated countries (0%). Above this entry. 0.90–1.00: 0 rated countries (0%). Above this entry. Burkina Faso 0.00 1.00 EPLex composite score, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more rated countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source ILO EPLex composite (0–1 scale) · 2019

Burkina Faso EPLex composite 44.8%

Out of a 1.0 maximum. Higher = stronger statutory protection against dismissal.

ILO EPLex (2019)
0.448
out of 1.0 · Rank #41
B-READY 2025
59.1
out of 100 · Rank #81
OECD EPL
No data available

ILO EPLex

Termination Protection Breakdown (2019)

Prohibited Grounds for Dismissal
1.000
Probation Period
0.920
Procedural Requirements
0.250
Notice Periods
0.207
Severance Pay
0.060
Redundancy Pay
0.091
Redress / Reinstatement
0.500

Scale: 0 = no protection · 1 = maximum protection. Source: ILO EPLex 2019.

Max probation period: 2 months

Notice Periods by Tenure

Tenure Notice Period
6 months 1 month
9 months 1 month
2 years 1 month
4 years 1 month
5 years 1 month
10 years 1 month
20 years 1 month

Source: ILO EPLex ILO EPLex Notice period is the legally mandated advance notice before termination

Severance and Redundancy Pay by Tenure

Tenure Severance Redundancy
6 months 0 mo 0 mo
9 months 0 mo 0 mo
2 years 0.5 mo 0.5 mo
4 years 1 mo 1 mo
5 years 1.25 mo 1.25 mo
10 years 2.75 mo 2.75 mo
20 years 6.75 mo 6.75 mo

Values in salary-months. Source: ILO EPLex. Severance = individual dismissal. Redundancy = collective/economic dismissal.


B-READY 2025

Labor Regulation Quality

Regulation Quality
63.5
out of 100
Public Services
63.1
out of 100
Efficiency
50.7
out of 100
Notice Required
Yes
Severance Required
Yes
Weeks to Dismiss
8.0
Weeks Severance
5.5
Firms in Disputes
6.0%
Months to Resolve
2.3
Social Contributions
15.7%
3rd Party for Dismissal
Not required

Source: World Bank Business Ready 2025 World Bank Business Ready 2025 Pillar scores are 0-100 (higher = better regulation quality)


Frequently Asked Questions

What are the employment protections in Burkina Faso?

Burkina Faso has employment protection data from 2 sources. ILO EPLex termination protection composite score: 0.448/1.0 (2019). World Bank B-READY labor regulation quality: 59.1/100. 7 notice period tiers defined by law. 7 severance/redundancy pay tiers.

How does Burkina Faso compare to the OECD average?

While Burkina Faso lacks OECD EPL data, its ILO EPLex composite score is 0.448/1.0, providing a comparable measure of termination protection.

What notice period and severance pay does Burkina Faso require?

In Burkina Faso, at 20 years of tenure, employers must give 1 month notice. severance pay reaches 6.75 months of salary at 20 years. notice is legally mandated. severance is legally mandated.

What data sources cover Burkina Faso's employment laws?

Burkina Faso is covered by 2 sources: the International Labour Organization EPLex database (termination protection indicators and sub-scores); the World Bank Business Ready 2025 report (labor regulation quality, dismissal costs, and dispute resolution). Each source measures different aspects of employment protection, providing a multi-dimensional view of labor regulation.

How strict are dismissal protections in Burkina Faso?

According to ILO EPLex (2019), Burkina Faso's termination protections are moderately strict with a composite score of 0.448/1.0. The maximum probation period is 2 months. Third-party approval for individual dismissal is not required. The dismissal process takes approximately 8.0 weeks.

How does Burkina Faso handle labor disputes?

Labor disputes in Burkina Faso take an average of 2.3 months to resolve. Approximately 6.0% of firms report experiencing labor disputes. Employer social contributions represent 15.7% of salary. The ILO EPLex redress/reinstatement indicator is 0.500/1.0, reflecting the strength of worker remedies after unfair dismissal.

Related

Data sourced from official OECD, ILO, and World Bank employment-protection datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainEmploy Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from OECD, ILO, and World Bank labor market databases. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.