🇵🇪 Americas

Peru

Employment-protection data from 3 official sources — composite scores, notice periods, severance, and dismissal rules.

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

Peru — the verdict

Peru's statutory protection against unfair dismissal is moderate — an ILO EPLex composite of 0.374 on the 0–1 scale, more flexible than 67% of the 95 rated countries.

0.374
ILO EPLex composite (0–1)
67th
percentile — flexibility
1.80/6
OECD EPL strictness
69.6/100
B-READY labor quality

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

Peru carries moderate employment protection scores across the 3 international datasets we track (Americas). The ILO EPLex composite (2019) stands at 0.374/1.0. The OECD EPL overall index is 1.80/6.0, ranking #55 of OECD-covered countries. B-READY 2025 labor regulation quality is 69.6/100. Statutory notice rules apply across 7 tenure tiers.

What the Data Shows for Peru

Peru, located in Americas, appears in 3 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 0.374 out of 1.0 (2019), summarizing statutory termination rules into a single index. The World Bank B-READY 2025 overall labor score stands at 69.6/100, blending regulation quality, public services, and process efficiency. The OECD EPL overall strictness index is 1.80/6.0, where higher values indicate stricter rules on individual and collective dismissal.

Statutory notice periods in Peru scale with tenure across 7 tiers, reaching 0.5 months at 20 years of service. Severance pay can reach 0 months of salary at 20 years, while redundancy-specific pay is 0 months. The maximum probation period allowed by law is 6 months, defining how long employers can assess workers under reduced protection. In practice, the World Bank estimates a full dismissal process takes about 7.3 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 2.7 months to resolve through formal channels. Roughly 5.8% of firms surveyed by the World Bank report experiencing labor disputes, signaling how frequently these rules are exercised. Employer social contributions equal 4.8% of salary, a meaningful cost layer on top of wages. The EPLex redress/reinstatement sub-indicator is 0.375/1.0, reflecting how strong remedies are when a dismissal is ruled unlawful. Historically, Peru's OECD EPL score moved from 1.80 in 2014 to 1.80 in 2019, showing the direction of reform over time. 6 direct country-vs-country comparisons are available below, letting you see how Peru 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

3

ILO / WB / OECD coverage

Region

Americas

Geographic grouping

Latest Year

2025

Most recent indicator update

Peru vs. every rated country

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

Peru — ILO EPLex composite

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

0.37 Top 67% higher than 33% 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%). This entry sits in this band. 0.40–0.50: 39 rated countries (41%). Above this entry. 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. Peru 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

Peru EPLex composite 37.4%

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

ILO EPLex (2019)
0.374
out of 1.0 · Rank #65
B-READY 2025
69.6
out of 100 · Rank #32
OECD EPL
1.80
out of 6.0 · Rank #55

ILO EPLex

Termination Protection Breakdown (2019)

Prohibited Grounds for Dismissal
0.500
Probation Period
0.760
Procedural Requirements
0.500
Notice Periods
0.103
Severance Pay
0.000
Redundancy Pay
0.000
Redress / Reinstatement
0.375

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

Max probation period: 6 months

Notice Periods by Tenure

Tenure Notice Period
6 months 0.5 months
9 months 0.5 months
2 years 0.5 months
4 years 0.5 months
5 years 0.5 months
10 years 0.5 months
20 years 0.5 months

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 mo 0 mo
4 years 0 mo 0 mo
5 years 0 mo 0 mo
10 years 0 mo 0 mo
20 years 0 mo 0 mo

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


B-READY 2025

Labor Regulation Quality

Regulation Quality
68.8
out of 100
Public Services
83.3
out of 100
Efficiency
56.7
out of 100
Notice Required
Yes
Severance Required
Yes
Weeks to Dismiss
7.3
Weeks Severance
6.3
Firms in Disputes
5.8%
Months to Resolve
2.7
Social Contributions
4.8%
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)


OECD EPL

Historical Protection Score

Year Overall Score Visual
2014 1.80
2015 1.80
2016 1.80
2017 1.80
2018 1.80
2019 1.80

Scale: 0-6 (higher = more protective). Source: OECD Employment Protection Legislation database.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the employment protections in Peru?

Peru has employment protection data from 3 sources. ILO EPLex termination protection composite score: 0.374/1.0 (2019). World Bank B-READY labor regulation quality: 69.6/100. OECD EPL overall: 1.80/6.0. 7 notice period tiers defined by law. 7 severance/redundancy pay tiers.

How does Peru compare to the OECD average?

Peru's OECD EPL score is 1.80/6.0 (OECD average is approximately 2.3). This indicates more flexible employment regulation than average.

What notice period and severance pay does Peru require?

In Peru, at 20 years of tenure, employers must give 0.5 months notice. severance pay reaches 0 months of salary at 20 years. notice is legally mandated. severance is legally mandated.

What data sources cover Peru's employment laws?

Peru is covered by 3 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); the OECD Employment Protection Legislation index (aggregate strictness scores from 1990 onward). Each source measures different aspects of employment protection, providing a multi-dimensional view of labor regulation.

How strict are dismissal protections in Peru?

According to ILO EPLex (2019), Peru's termination protections are relatively flexible with a composite score of 0.374/1.0. The maximum probation period is 6 months. Third-party approval for individual dismissal is not required. The dismissal process takes approximately 7.3 weeks.

How does Peru handle labor disputes?

Labor disputes in Peru take an average of 2.7 months to resolve. Approximately 5.8% of firms report experiencing labor disputes. Employer social contributions represent 4.8% of salary. The ILO EPLex redress/reinstatement indicator is 0.375/1.0, 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.