A foreigner in the Bahamas can only legally work if the appointment has been approved by the Department of Immigration. A company can only get approval for a foreigner worker if the position has already been advertised and no suitably qualified Bahamian applicant came forward. The company applies for permission to hire a foreign worker, who must provide evidence of qualifications before permission will be granted.

Permits are generally issued for a period of one year, though some shorter term temporary permits are not uncommon. Renewals can be applied for but are rarely renewed for a worker who has already been in the country for five years.

Not all workers will have a written contract of employment, although if there is a union involved they generally do. Employees are entitled to one week’s paid leave after they have completed one year of service, though most companies will extend this to two weeks. The average amount of paid sick leave that a worker is entitled to is usually two weeks. Paid maternity leave is a maximum of eight weeks. There are ten days of public holidays each year in the Bahamas which are spread evenly across the year.

English is the language of business in the Bahamas and the working culture is a little more laid back than in most parts of the world. The Bahamas has something called ‘island time’ which describes the ‘do it later’ approach that many of the islanders have. Business hours will vary according to the season but most shops will be open from 9 am to 5 pm during the week. Hours will also vary according to the location of the business. The larger towns such as Nassau or Freeport will have longer business hours than some of the towns on smaller islands which do not attract as many visitors.

Around one third of workers in the Bahamas are represented by a union, which tend to work well with employers, so strikes are rare and relations between employees and employers are very good. The industries that make most use of unions tend to be the hotel and hospitality industries and shipping industry but membership is not compulsory.

Unskilled workers on farms or menial jobs will make between $9,000 and $13,000 per year. Office workers or bank staff can expect to make between $20,000 and $25,000 per year. Senior executives can expect a salary of around $100,000 or more. Salaries will also vary according to location and industry, though salaries for skilled foreign workers tend to be higher than average.