Mozambique Minimum Wage 2026: All 19 Rates by Sector

Q: Since when are the new values in force?

They take effect from April 1, 2026 , despite being approved on April 28, 2026. They therefore apply retroactively to the whole month of April. If you were paid according to the old table in that month, you have grounds to ask for the difference.

The short answer

Mozambique does not have a single minimum wage. Since 1 April 2026, 19 different minimum wages are in effect, one per sector of activity, ranging from 4.991,09 MT in Kapenta fishing to 20.361,43 MT in banking and insurance.

What determines your case is not your job title. It is the primary activity of the company that pays you. A driver for a major mining company and a driver for a bakery do the same work and have very different legal minimums. Keep this in mind, because this is where almost everyone makes a mistake.

The figures were approved on 28 April 2026, but take effect from 1 April. They are retroactive. If you were paid according to the old scale in April, there is an unsettled difference to be paid.

The essentials in 30 seconds

There are 19 values by sector, between 4.991,09 MT and 20.361,43 MT per month.
In effect since 1 April 2026, approved on 28 April, with retroactive effect to that month.
In the sectors that saw increases, the raises range from +2,65% to +9,28% — and two sectors did not increase at all. Only hospitality stayed above the year-on-year inflation rate of 7,48%.
Public service (8.758,00 MT) and Kapenta fishing (4.991,09 MT) did not increase at all.
The minimum wage is national. It does not vary from province to province; it varies from sector to sector.
It applies to the base salary, before allowances and before deductions.
Paid below this? Confirm your sector, calculate the difference since April, and write to the company. The copy-ready letter is further below here.

Construction worker in Mozambique checking salary on mobile phone

The 19 minimum wages of 2026, from highest to lowest

Here is the full list, in meticais per month. Find your sector, save the number, and keep reading. Below we show what it is worth per hour and per day.

Sectors above 10.000 MT

Banking and insurance — 20.361,43 MT
Microfinance and micro-insurance — 17.924,57 MT
Extractive industry, large mining companies — 16.239,06 MT
Electricity, gas and water, large companies — 12.775,00 MT
Non-financial services — 10.845,00 MT
Manufacturing industry — 10.622,50 MT
Hospitality, tourism and similar — 10.600,00 MT
Electricity, gas and water, small companies — 10.366,00 MT
Fuel retailers — 10.079,00 MT

Sectors between 8.000 and 10.000 MT

Civil service — 8.758,00 MT
Private security — 8.690,00 MT
Construction — 8.652,00 MT
Extractive industry, medium companies (quarries and sand pits) — 8.488,48 MT

Sectors below 8.000 MT

Bakery — 7.500,00 MT
Agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and logging — 7.072,00 MT
Industrial and semi-industrial fishing — 7.063,22 MT
Cashew — 7.000,00 MT
Salt pans, micro and small enterprises — 6.824,17 MT
Kapenta fishing — 4.991,09 MT

From the top to the bottom of the table there is a 15.370,34 MT gap. Someone starting work at a bank counter begins, by law, with more than four times the minimum of someone catching kapenta on the lake. Same country, same law, same 48-hour week.

Why there are 19 values and not just one

The minimum wage is not agreed between employer and worker. It comes out of annual negotiations between the Government, trade unions and employer associations, conducted sector by sector. Each table brings its own reality — margins, exchange rate, productivity, ability to pay — resulting in 19 numbers instead of one.

For you, there are two practical consequences. The first: the minimum protecting you depends on the company's sector, not your role or province. The second: getting a pay rise one year does not guarantee a pay rise the following year, as the civil service and Kapenta fishing learned this year.

Mozambican banking professional in an office working on a computer

What your hour and day are worth

The minimum wage is published monthly. But you work by the day and by the hour, and that is where errors crop up: unpaid overtime hours, excessive day deductions, miscalculated part-time work. To check your pay, you need to convert the monthly amount.

The standard working period in Mozambique is 48 hours per week, set in Article 93 of the Labor Law, Law No. 13/2023, of August 25. In practice, eight hours a day for six days.

The math you can do on your phone in 20 seconds

48 hours × 52 weeks = 2.496 hours per year. Divide by 12 months and you get 208 hours per month. In eight-hour workdays, that is 26 days per month.

Hourly rate = monthly salary ÷ 208
Daily rate = monthly salary ÷ 26

Two divisions. That is all you need to stop working in the dark.

Note: 208 hours is a calculation convention

No calendar month has exactly 208 working hours. Some months have 24 working days, others have 27, and February is always shorter. The 208 hours are an agreed average, calculated from 48 weekly hours multiplied by 52 weeks and divided by 12 months.

It serves to put monthly salary and daily work into the same unit, which is what you need to compare your payslip against the scale. The same applies to the 26 days, which are the 208 hours divided by eight-hour shifts. Use these numbers to check the scale of magnitude, not to demand the exact cent for a specific month.

Minimum hourly and daily rates, sector by sector

Banking and insurance: 97,89 MT/hour · 783,13 MT/day
Microfinance: 86,18 MT/hour · 689,41 MT/day
Extractive sector, large mining companies: 78,07 MT/hour · 624,58 MT/day
Electricity, gas and water (large): 61,42 MT/hour · 491,35 MT/day
Non-financial services: 52,14 MT/hour · 417,12 MT/day
Manufacturing industry: 51,07 MT/hour · 408,56 MT/day
Hospitality and tourism: 50,96 MT/hour · 407,69 MT/day
Electricity, gas and water (small): 49,84 MT/hour · 398,69 MT/day
Fuel retailers: 48,46 MT/hour · 387,65 MT/day
Civil service: 42,11 MT/hour · 336,85 MT/day
Private security: 41,78 MT/hour · 334,23 MT/day
Construction: 41,60 MT/hour · 332,77 MT/day
Extractive industry, medium enterprises (quarries and sand pits): 40,81 MT/hour · 326,48 MT/day
Bakery sector: 36,06 MT/hour · 288,46 MT/day
Agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry and silviculture: 34,00 MT/hour · 272,00 MT/day
Industrial and semi-industrial fishing: 33,96 MT/hour · 271,66 MT/day
Cashew: 33,65 MT/hour · 269,23 MT/day
Salt pans, micro and small enterprises: 32,81 MT/hour · 262,47 MT/day
Kapenta fishing: 24,00 MT/hour · 191,97 MT/day

An example with real numbers

You work on a construction site. The minimum wage in construction is 8.652,00 MT, which means 41,60 MT per hour. Your payslip says 7.500 MT, which means 36,06 MT per hour.

You are missing 5,54 MT for every hour you spend on site. That comes to 1.152 MT a month. If nothing changes by December, that is nine months and 10.368 MT less in your year.

To put that in perspective: those 10.368 MT are worth more than a full month of the construction minimum wage and more than two months of the lowest salary in the country, the 4.991,09 MT for Kapenta fishing. It is this figure, rather than heat-of-the-moment anger, that tells you whether it is worth taking action.

How much your sector rose in 2026

It is the second question everyone asks after looking at the table. Here are the adjustments published this year, from highest to lowest.

Hospitality, tourism and similar: +9,28% — the highest rise of the year
Extractive industry, large mining companies: +7%
Banking and insurance: +6,92%
Microfinance and micro-insurance: +6,92%
Extractive industry, medium-sized companies: +6%
Agriculture, livestock and forestry: +5,74%
Cashew: +5,2%
Industrial and semi-industrial fishing: +5%
Manufacturing industry: +4,7%
Non-financial services: +5,2%
Fuel retailers: +3,5%
Salt pans: +4,37%
Bakery: +4,16%
Civil construction: +3%
Private security: +2,65% — the lowest rise of the year
Kapenta fishing: no increase
Civil service: no increase

Electricity, gas and water are missing, and here it is worth being honest with you: public sources are not consistent. It is known that large companies went from 12.275,00 to 12.775,00 MT and small ones from 9.960,62 to 10.366,00 MT, but the announced percentage does not match those figures. We stick to the meticais, which are verifiable, and do not invent the percentage.

Why the increase is not felt in your pocket

Year-on-year inflation in Mozambique stands at 7,48%, according to the National Institute of Statistics, in July 2026. Put that number next to the list of adjustments and the problem is obvious: except for hospitality, all increases fell below the rise in prices.

A 3% adjustment with prices rising 7,48% is a disguised cut. The number on the payslip grows, the shopping bag shrinks. That is what happened in civil construction, bakery, salt pans and manufacturing, among others.

That is why so many people say that "it went up and meant nothing". The math proves them right.

The two groups that stood still

The civil service remains at 8.758,00 MT, the amount set in 2022 by the Single Salary Scale and in effect since January 2023. Kapenta fishing remained at 4.991,09 MT, without any increase. More than three years of rising prices on a frozen salary are no longer stagnation. They are a loss.

The practical takeaway for you: if the increase you received this year fell below 7,48%, you earn more meticais and buy fewer things. That is not illegal, and no inspection will fix it. But it is the strongest argument you can bring to a salary review conversation, or the sign that the time has come to look at the market.

Is the minimum wage different in Maputo?

No. It is probably the most asked question on this topic and the answer is short: in Mozambique, the minimum wage is set by sector of activity and at a national level. There is no table for Maputo, one for Nampula, and another for Tete.

A guard hired by a private security company earns 8.690,00 MT in Pemba, in Chimoio, in Matola, and in Maputo City. A cashew worker earns 7.000,00 MT in Nampula and the exact same 7.000,00 MT in Gaza. The province where you are does not change your entitlement by a single metical.

What varies from province to province are two things, and both factor into your decisions: the cost of living and the concentration of employers in the higher-paying sectors.

So why does it seem like people earn more in Maputo?

Because the mix of employers is different, not because the law changes. Headquarters of banks, insurance firms, microfinance institutions, and service companies are concentrated in the capital, and those are the sectors at the top of the table. Anyone looking through job openings in Maputo City finds more offers with high legal minimums, along with a higher cost of living to absorb them.

The logic works in reverse just as strongly. Energy, port, and logistics projects drive hiring in Sofala; the North, including Nampula, concentrates agribusiness, cashew, and extractives. Before assuming you need to move cities, compare the sector minimum where you are going with what you have today.

Rule of thumb: change sectors before you change provinces. In Mozambique, the sector moves your salary more than the map does.

How to check if you are being underpaid

Five checks. Do all five before saying anything to your boss.

1. Identify the sector by the company, not by your job title

The minimum wage follows the employer's main activity. If you are a cook in a hotel, your minimum wage is that of the hotel industry, 10.600,00 MT, not the food service sector you might expect. If in doubt, check the company's legal purpose in your contract or ask human resources to state in writing which sector the company falls under. This is a standard request and you have the right to know.

2. Watch out for outsourcing, this is where most people make mistakes

What matters is the sector of the company that hired you, not where you spend your day. If you are a guard hired by a private security firm, your minimum wage is 8.690,00 MT, even if you are stationed at a bank every day of the year.

The same applies to cleaning, gardening, catering, and maintenance provided by external companies. Working inside an insurance company does not give you the banking minimum wage if you are paid by a service provider. Look at the name on your payslip; that is what counts.

3. Compare the base salary, not the total on the payslip

The minimum wage applies to the base salary. Transport allowance, meal allowance, bonuses, and overtime are added on top. An employer paying you 6.000 MT base salary plus 2.700 MT in allowances is not complying with the 8.652,00 MT minimum for civil construction, even if the total seems to add up. Look for the line that says base.

4. Confirm how many hours you actually work

The monthly minimum corresponds to the full regular schedule, those 48 hours a week. If you work fewer hours by written agreement, the amount is adjusted proportionally and there is no violation. If you work 48 hours or more and earn below your sector's minimum, there is.

5. Calculate the accumulated difference since April

Subtract your base salary from the sector minimum and multiply by the number of months since April 2026. That is the missing amount, and it is also your strongest leverage in a conversation: a number the company can only contest with another number.

Shop worker checking payslip

What to do if your salary is below the minimum

Paying below the sector minimum cannot be resolved by mutual agreement. It is a legal floor, and not even a signed paper from you waives it. Follow this order, from simplest to most formal, and keep proof of every step.

Step 1 — Gather evidence, quietly

Photograph or save your pay slips from the last few months. Keep your employment contract or, if you don't have a written contract, save messages, work rosters, timesheets, and bank transfer receipts. A conversation without documents becomes your word against theirs. With documents, it becomes arithmetic.

Step 2 — Write to the company, numbers in hand

Many cases are administrative errors, not bad faith, especially with figures approved in April and applicable from the start of that month. Email, a hand-delivered letter with a signed copy, or a message works, as long as there is a dated record. Keep the response.

The letter you can copy today

For anyone who has to confront their employer, the step that usually holds everyone back is writing the first sentence. That's why we've prepared this draft: copy it, replace the text inside square brackets, read it out loud once, and send it.

Subject: Request for base salary adjustment — [FULL NAME]

Dear [NAME OF MANAGER OR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT],

My name is [FULL NAME] and I have been working at this company since [MONTH/YEAR], in the position of [JOB TITLE]. My current base salary is [AMOUNT RECEIVED] MT per month.

The minimum wage currently in force for the [SECTOR] sector is [AMOUNT] MT, effective from 1 April 2026. I am writing to respectfully request the adjustment of my base salary to this amount, as well as the payment of the accumulated difference since April, which I calculate to be [TOTAL DIFFERENCE] MT.

If the company's sector classification is different, please inform me in writing so that I can correct my calculations.

I look forward to your response and remain available to clarify any points as needed.

Sincerely,
[FULL NAME] · [JOB TITLE] · [CONTACT DETAILS] · [DATE]

Notice three things this letter does intentionally. It doesn't accuse anyone of anything. It presents an exact figure that anyone can check in the table. And it gives the company a graceful exit: if the sector is different, they simply need to state it in writing, which also gives you documented proof of that.

If there is no reply

Don't drop it. After a week or two of silence, send a short follow-up through the same channel, keeping the same tone.

Subject: Follow-up regarding request sent on [DATE]

Dear Sir/Madam,

On [DATE], I sent a request for an adjustment of my base salary to the minimum for the [SECTOR] sector, in the amount of [AMOUNT] MT. As I have not yet received a reply, I would appreciate an update on the status of my request.

Sincerely,
[FULL NAME] · [JOB TITLE] · [DATE]

Step 3 — Trade union and labor inspection

If the company does not correct it, the next step is the trade union for your sector, if one exists and you are a member, and then the labor inspectorate of your province. Bring your pay slips, contract, your calculation, and a copy of what you sent. Arriving with the figure already calculated saves weeks. And do not leave without proof that your complaint was lodged.

What to avoid while the case is ongoing

Do not abandon your workplace because of the dispute. Unexcused absences weaken your position.
Do not accept verbal promises of correction. Make sure they appear on the following month's pay slip.
Do not sign documents you haven't read, especially liability release forms or settlement waivers.
Do not let months pass without taking action. The more time passes, the harder it becomes to gather evidence.

Before you complain, weigh the cost

In Mozambique, speaking up carries a real cost, especially in small companies where everyone knows each other. Weigh your situation before moving forward. Many people choose to fix what they can internally while quietly starting to look for work elsewhere. That is a legitimate choice, and no one should judge you for it.

Worker writing a letter to their employer by hand

The minimum is the floor, not your price

It is worth stating this clearly: the minimum wage sets the level below which no one can be paid. It says nothing about what your work is worth in the market.

A technician with five years of experience, a valid driver's license, and functional English should not be negotiating 8.652,00 MT. They should be negotiating what those skills are worth, which is significantly more.

Look at the table again. The gap between banking and cashew has little to do with effort, because people in cashew work hard. It has to do with the sector each person is in. Changing sectors, in Mozambique, moves your salary more than changing companies within the same sector.

Three questions that change an interview

Arriving at an interview knowing your sector's minimum changes the conversation. You stop accepting the first number handed to you and start discussing facts.

"I know the sector minimum is [VALOR] MT. Given the experience I bring, my expectation is above that."
"Is the figure you quoted the gross base salary or does it already include allowances?"
"What allowances are provided for the role and how often are salary reviews conducted?"

None of them are confrontational. They are questions from someone who read the table before stepping into the room, and it shows.

Where to find sectors that pay above minimum wage

If the math didn't work out for you, complaining is only half the answer. The other half is moving.

The sectors where the law itself mandates a higher starting pay are all at the top of this table: banking and insurance, with 20.361,43 MT; microfinance, with 17.924,57 MT; large-scale extractive industry, with 16.239,06 MT; and electricity, gas and water in large companies, with 12.775,00 MT. You can see open positions in banking and financial services.

If you work in agriculture, livestock and forestry, your minimum is among the lowest on the table, 7.072,00 MT. Larger agro-industrial companies usually pay above it and look for people with practical experience. Write down that experience in your application instead of taking it for granted.

And don't assume there is only work where you live. It is worth browsing open positions on Inademy with this table by your side, and comparing the legal minimum of each sector before deciding what to apply for.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Mozambique in 2026?

It depends on the company's sector of activity. The lowest is for Kapenta fishing, 4.991,09 MT, and the highest is for banking and insurance, 20.361,43 MT. There are 19 different values, all effective since April 1, 2026.

Is the minimum wage the same in all provinces?

Yes. The rates are national and set by sector of activity, never by province. A private security guard gets 8.690,00 MT in Maputo, Nampula, or Tete. What changes between provinces is the cost of living and the types of employers present, not the legal minimum you are entitled to.

Is the minimum wage gross or net?

It is a base salary figure, meaning before legal deductions. What reaches your hands is less than the figure in the table because there are contributions and, depending on income, tax. What the law guarantees is that your base is not below the sector minimum, not that you receive that net amount.

I work part-time. Am I entitled to the full amount?

No. The minimum is set for the standard period of 48 hours per week. If you work less by agreement, the amount is proportional. Check it this way: divide your sector's minimum by 208 to find the hourly rate, multiply by the hours you actually work in the month, and compare with what you receive. If it falls below, you have reason to ask why.

I am a civil servant. Why didn't mine go up?

Because the public service was excluded from the adjustment. It remains at 8.758,00 MT, the figure set in 2022 by the Single Salary Table and unchanged since January 2023, while private sectors rose between 2,65% and 9,28% this year alone. That is why many state professionals are looking toward the private sector.

Can my boss pay me below the minimum if I agree?

No. The sector minimum is a legal limit and cannot be set aside by agreement between the parties, neither in writing nor verbally. If you signed something, that clause is invalid against the law.

I don't have a written contract. Am I still entitled to the minimum?

Yes. The right to the minimum wage comes from the real employment relationship, not from a signed document. The Labour Law in force, Law No. 13/2023 of August 25, states in article 39 that the lack of written form does not affect the validity of the contract nor the rights you have already acquired, and that fault for this lack is presumed to belong to the employer.

Only fixed-term contracts for tasks lasting up to 90 days are exempt from written form. Keep everything that proves you work there: work schedules, messages, transfers, witnesses.

Since when are the new values in force?

They take effect from April 1, 2026, despite being approved on April 28, 2026. They therefore apply retroactively to the whole month of April. If you were paid according to the old table in that month, you have grounds to ask for the difference.

When will the minimum wage increase again?

Adjustments have been negotiated annually and the current values came into force on April 1, 2026. The next review is expected in 2027, around the same time of year. Until then, the 19 values in this table are the ones that apply. We will update this article as soon as there is a new decision, so bookmark Guia da Inademy on your phone.

Where these numbers come from

Nothing here is our estimate. The figures come from the minimum wage revision approved by the Council of Ministers on 28 April 2026, effective from 1 April 2026, within the framework of social dialogue of the Labour Consultative Commission.

Values by sector and adjustments: statement from the Council of Ministers of 28 April 2026, published by the Mozambique Information Agency.
48-hour workweek: Article 93 of the Labour Law, Law No. 13/2023, of 25 August, in force since 21 February 2024.
Public sector minimum wage: Single Salary Scale, approved in 2022, effective since January 2023.
Year-on-year inflation of 7.48%: National Institute of Statistics, data from July 2026.

If you find a difference between what is listed here and what your company tells you, request their sectoral classification in writing. That classification determines your minimum wage, and you have a right to know it.

In short, what to do today

Find your sector in the list. Divide the amount by 208 to find out your hourly rate. Take your payslip and look at the base salary line. If it is below, calculate the difference since April, copy the letter provided here, and send it with the figure in hand.

And if your sector pays too little for the life you want, use the table to choose your next one: compare the minimum of the sector you are in with the sector you want to move to, and see how much the change is worth per month.

Official source: Law No. 13/2023 (Labour Law) is available as a PDF on the website of Mozambique's Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo): official text (PDF).