BELTRAIDE (ACTIVE)
  • BELTRAIDE
    • About Beltraide
    • GEM Report
    • News
  • BelizeINVEST
    • Why Belize? >
      • Skilled Labour
      • Strategic Locations
      • Pro-Business Environment
      • Friendly Tax Regime
      • Investment Incentives
    • Sectors >
      • Tourism & Medical Tourism
      • Offshore Outsourcing
      • Agribusiness & Agro-processing
      • Fisheries & Aquaculture
      • Sustainable Energy
      • Light Manufacturing & Logistics
    • Investment Portfolio >
      • Doing Business in Belize? >
        • Business Registration
        • Company Incorporation
        • Trade License
        • Business Tax Registration
        • General Sales Tax Registration
        • Bank Account Establishment
        • Companies
    • COVID-19: Ongoing Investment Support
  • BTEC
    • BTEC Conference Facility Rentals
    • SkillUp Digital Bootcamp
  • EXPORTBelize
    • Export Helpdesk >
      • Artist Toolkit
      • Export Readiness Self-Assessment
      • Export Process
      • Export Business Plan Guide
      • Financing Guide
      • Export Publications
      • Global Trade Links
    • Market Access >
      • Trade Agreements
      • Trade Shows and Missions
    • CETSuspension
  • SBDCBelize
    • Our Success Stories
    • Your Business Tools >
      • Startups
      • Establishing A Business >
        • Become A Client
      • Policies & Strategies
      • FAQs
  • Resources
    • BELTRAIDE Training Calendar
    • Invest Belize Magazine Vol. 8
    • Investment Services Network
    • Digital Innovation Cluster
    • B.E.E.P.
    • National MSME Roadshow
    • ENTRECON
    • Belize Blue Economy Investment Promotion Strategy
    • Project and Consultancy Opportunities
    • Expo 2025 Osaka
  • Publications

Skilled Labour Force

Picture
Picture
Picture
 The Belizean Workforce:
  • Friendly, well educated, productive, English speaking citizenry.
  • Diverse and Bilingual population (English, Spanish)
    • 60% of the population is Bilingual (Source: SIB)
  • As of mid-2022 the total population of Belize is 441,471 with a young, vibrant, and quality labour force of 191,728 and an unemployment rate of 5%. (Source: SIB)
  • Competitive labour costs with a minimum wage of BZD $5.00 or USD $2.50 per hour.
  • 19 Tertiary and 62 Secondary educational institutions countrywide with Technical and Vocational training programs through the Institute of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ITVET). (Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology)
  • Government subsidized industry demand-driven training programs through the Belize Training and Employment Centre (BTEC), a unit of BELTRAIDE.



Belize has a young, diverse, and talented labour force ranging between the ages of 20 – 34, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 (Source: SIB).
For more detailed labour statistics, kindly visit the Statistical Institute of Belize’s (SIB) Website.​
​

Figure 1: Bar Chart Representing Labour Force by Age 2022 (Source SIB)

Picture

Figure 2: Pie Chart Representing Labour Force by District (Source: SIB)

Picture

ONLINE TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT PERMIT APPLICATION: ​

​Belize also offers an investor-friendly work permit regime that enables developers to bring talent to Belize during the initial phases of the development coupled with knowledge transfer programs. The first step requires employers to open an account on the online system to submit the temporary employment permit application(s) on behalf of prospective employee(s).
 
Who Can Apply for a Temporary Employment Permit

Belizeans and foreign employers can apply for temporary employment permits on behalf of prospective foreign employee(s). In most cases, an employer is a legally registered business entity. In other cases, an employer can be a self-employed foreigner. Only employers can apply for temporary employment permits on behalf of prospective employees. In most cases, an employer is a legally registered business entity. In other cases, an employer can be a self-employed foreigner.

    1. Company or Business
        A company or business is defined as being one of the following:
            •    Limited Liability
            •    Sole Owner​
            •    Partnership
            •    Overseas
            •    Diplomatic Agencies
            •    Not for Profit
            •    NGO
            •    Educational
       
Only an authorized representative from one of the above entities can register an account on the TEP system and apply for temporary
        employment permits.

    2. Self-employed Belizean
         A self-employed Belizean can apply for a temporary employment permit on behalf of a foreigner he/she wishes to hire.

Documents Required:

It is required to submit applicable documents from the relevant list below to complete your Employer's profile.

    1. The maximum size of a document is 10MB.
    2. Please make sure all documents are in English. If the original document is not in English, then provide an accompanying English
        translation.
    3. You can only upload documents with the following extensions: pdf, zip, png, jpg, and jpeg.

Company/Business

    1. Article of Association
    2. Memorandum of Association
    3. Certificate of Good Standing
    4. Certificate of Registration
    5. Trade License (If operating within a city of town)
    6. Business Plan (New Businesses)
    7. Local Bank Statement (6 months transactions for new businesses)
    8. Income Tax Certificate (Tax Identification Number TIN #)

Self-Employed Foreigner
    1. Business Plan
    2. Local Bank Statement (6 months transactions)
    3. Land Title/Lease
    4. Updated Land Payment receipt
    5. Original Marriage Certificate
    6. Declaration witness y a Commissioner of the Supreme Court (Common Law relationship)
    7. Birth Certificate of each child
    8. Proof of Citizenship of Spouse (Birth Certificate/Permanent Residence/Nationality)

Please note:


There is an Employment Unit within the ministry whose main function is to work with employers and job seekers to facilitate matchmaking for employment. This computerized system is the Employment Services System (ESS). The ESS captures and processes vacancy information from employers and matches it with the education, experience, and skills of job seekers to generate lists of candidates for specific jobs. The System also generates statistics and predefined reports by demographics, geographic locations, industries, and job types.

Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government
#5163 University Blvd
City of Belmopan
501-822-2679
[email protected]
​
Download Work Permit Application Form
Click here for ESS
Picture
Address
​
3401 Mountain View Blvd., Suite 201
Belmopan, Cayo
​Belize, Central America
[email protected]
+501 880-3737/0137 (HQ Belmopan)
+501 280-3195 (SBDC)
+501 280-0323 (BTEC)


A statutory body of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development & Investment of the Government of Belize
© COPYRIGHT 2024. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • BELTRAIDE
    • About Beltraide
    • GEM Report
    • News
  • BelizeINVEST
    • Why Belize? >
      • Skilled Labour
      • Strategic Locations
      • Pro-Business Environment
      • Friendly Tax Regime
      • Investment Incentives
    • Sectors >
      • Tourism & Medical Tourism
      • Offshore Outsourcing
      • Agribusiness & Agro-processing
      • Fisheries & Aquaculture
      • Sustainable Energy
      • Light Manufacturing & Logistics
    • Investment Portfolio >
      • Doing Business in Belize? >
        • Business Registration
        • Company Incorporation
        • Trade License
        • Business Tax Registration
        • General Sales Tax Registration
        • Bank Account Establishment
        • Companies
    • COVID-19: Ongoing Investment Support
  • BTEC
    • BTEC Conference Facility Rentals
    • SkillUp Digital Bootcamp
  • EXPORTBelize
    • Export Helpdesk >
      • Artist Toolkit
      • Export Readiness Self-Assessment
      • Export Process
      • Export Business Plan Guide
      • Financing Guide
      • Export Publications
      • Global Trade Links
    • Market Access >
      • Trade Agreements
      • Trade Shows and Missions
    • CETSuspension
  • SBDCBelize
    • Our Success Stories
    • Your Business Tools >
      • Startups
      • Establishing A Business >
        • Become A Client
      • Policies & Strategies
      • FAQs
  • Resources
    • BELTRAIDE Training Calendar
    • Invest Belize Magazine Vol. 8
    • Investment Services Network
    • Digital Innovation Cluster
    • B.E.E.P.
    • National MSME Roadshow
    • ENTRECON
    • Belize Blue Economy Investment Promotion Strategy
    • Project and Consultancy Opportunities
    • Expo 2025 Osaka
  • Publications