Seasonal Work: Agriculture, Tourism, and Fisheries

Seasonal work in Mozambique follows nature's calendar: the harvest, the cashew season, the tourist season, and the kapenta harvest.

Anyone working during a season earns the statutory minimum wage as a legal baseline, plus overtime — and in 2026 the minimum wage floors are fixed by law: agriculture at 7,072 MT, hospitality and tourism at 10,600 MT, industrial fishing at 7,063.22 MT, and kapenta at 4,991.09 MT.

In Inademy's Guide, you will see how each of the three sectors works — agriculture, tourism, and fisheries. What the season requires of you, what it offers you, where job openings appear, and the rates in effect since 1 April 2026.

The short answer

Seasonal means temporary by nature. The contract follows the season — harvest, high season, or catch — and that is not the issue: the problem is starting without a contract, which is what costs you your rights.
Agriculture. The 2025–26 agricultural campaign kicked off in November with targets of 3.4 million tonnes of cereals and 180 thousand tonnes of cashew nuts; the work season starts with sowing and ends with harvesting and processing.
Tourism. The season is the dry season (May to October): the north hosts safaris, while the south highlights archipelagos. The sector's minimum wage floor is the highest on the 2026 table — 10,600 MT — and its increase was the largest of the year.
Fisheries. Lake Niassa kapenta has the lowest minimum wage floor on the entire table (4,991.09 MT), with the season running during the dry season, in parallel with the peak cashew harvest; industrial fishing (7,063.22 MT) is year-round work, with peaks during the harvest season.
The minimum wage floor is the legal minimum. In the sector, the wage floor is law: below that, the pay is illegal — and with a contract, paid leave, insurance, and overtime are included in the calculation.

Seasonal agricultural work in Mozambique: harvest at the end of the rainy season

What seasonal work is (and where it isn't)

Seasonal work is employment whose duration follows a natural or commercial cycle: from sowing to harvest, the cashew season, the hotel high season, or scale-fish harvesting on Lake Niassa.

The calendar defines the contract duration. And the contract is what protects you: Law 13/2023 converts any fixed-term contract without justified grounds into an indefinite contract — and the seasonal cycle is justified grounds by definition. What is not seasonal is an internship: an intern is not part of the seasonal cycle, but follows their own programme.

The practical difference for you: seasonal work pays more, lasts less time, and has an end date. Permanent work often pays the minimum floor and does not end. Both paths coexist — and the following calendar tells you when peak season occurs in each sector.

Agriculture: the calendar that moves the country

Agriculture is the sector where seasonal work is most visible, and it is also the one that employs the most people in Mozambique: the sector supports more than 70% of the population, according to the Government itself. The calendar for the 2025–26 campaign, launched in Mafambisse, Sofala, on 13 November 2025, is as follows:

November to March — sowing. Rainy season: this is when maize, rice, and beans are planted. The work ranges from land clearing to planting and irrigation. The official campaign target is 3.4 million tonnes of cereals, a 7% increase.
February to May — harvesting. Cereal harvesting is concentrated in this window; those starting at the end of sowing work the entire season.
August to October — cashew. The cashew harvesting and shelling season is the peak of agricultural labor in the north and in Zambézia; the 2025–26 target is 180 thousand tonnes, a 13% increase.

The sector's minimum wage floor in 2026 is 7,072 MT/month, in effect since 01/04/2026 — a value guaranteed by law; overtime work may be paid on a daily basis — check the job posting. Processed cashew has its own minimum floor: 7,000 MT for processors.

Seasonal tourism work in Mozambique: the dry season on the southern coast

Tourism: the dry season has the highest minimum wage floor on the table

Tourism is the seasonal sector with the highest minimum wage floor on the 2026 table — 10,600 MT, the highest increase of the year — and the peak period is the dry season, from May to October, when the north runs safaris and the south hosts archipelagos. Here is what the calendar offers you:

May to October — high season. This is when hotels, guides, taxi drivers, and cooks experience full season activity. Seasonal contracts end when it concludes. In the north, it is safari season; in the south, the season for archipelagos and islands.
November to April — low season. The sector continues to operate, but with fewer vacancies and often fewer hours. This is the window when the sector hires for the following season — actual hiring runs from March to May, before the high season.

The minimum wage floor of 10,600 MT applies to the sector as a whole. High season averages usually sit above the minimum floor — and tips for safari guides or room attendants come on top as standard industry practice, not as a legal wage requirement. Anyone entering the sector between November and February is negotiating during low season: fewer hours, fewer openings.

Fisheries: kapenta has the lowest minimum wage floor on the table

Seasonal work in Mozambican fisheries: the pier of a fishing village at sunrise

Fisheries are divided into two different seasons, and you need to know where each one fits:

Kapenta (Lake Niassa). Catching and smoking scale fish takes place in the dry season, in Niassa and Nampula. It is the peak of seasonal work in the region — and the minimum wage floor is the lowest on the entire 2026 table: 4,991.09 MT/month. It is seasonal work in the most literal sense: the season is the catch, and when it ends, so does the contract.
Industrial and semi-industrial fishing. Work at fishing ports (Nacala, Beira, Pemba) is year-round, with peaks during the harvest season; the sector floor is 7,063.22 MT/month. It is not seasonal by contract — it is seasonal by volume. Peak periods pay overtime, and overtime is what defines the season.

Cashew reappears here via another route: the harvest season (August to October) also drives logistics and transport in Zambézia and the north — the truck transporting nuts from the field does not stop when harvesting ends.

The rights that apply during the season (even with a 3-month contract)

Seasonal is not synonymous with "no rights" — Law 13/2023 covers fixed-term contracts exactly as it covers indefinite contracts, and that is what protects you:

The contract exists. Work is presumed to be under an employment contract; seasonal work follows Law 13/2023, which converts any fixed-term contract without justified cause into an indefinite contract. The seasonal cycle is justified cause by definition — and what protects you is not the duration, but the existence of the contract.
48-hour workweek. The maximum weekly work limit is 48 hours; weekly rest and overtime follow Law 13/2023. Extra harvesting days count as overtime, and overtime has its own rate.
Paid leave: 12 days in the first year, 30 from the second year onwards. If the season lasts less, unused days at the end follow the conversion rule — check Inademy's Law 13/2023 guide.
The sector minimum floor is law. Below the 2026 floor — 7,072 in agriculture, 10,600 in tourism, 7,063.22 in industrial fishing, 4,991.09 in kapenta — the wage is illegal. The contract, whether written or verbal, legally obligates the employer to pay at least the wage floor.

The complete Law 13/2023 guide — featuring employer obligations and non-compliance fines — is available in the Inademy guide; the 19 sector minimum wage values are in the 2026 minimum wage guide.

Where seasonal job openings are listed

The seasonal map is the job openings map, and each season has a name and dates:

September to November — hiring for the sowing season. Agricultural sector job ads come out before the campaign, which starts in November. The official target of 3.4 million tonnes of cereals (a 7% increase) reflects the volume of work being hired.
August to October — cashew. Harvesting and processing of nuts (180 thousand tonnes in 2025–26) are concentrated in the north and in Zambézia. Ports and cashew processing facilities (shelling) need staff during the season.
March to May — tourism hiring. High season starts in May; hotels and guesthouses hire earlier, during the low season. Those joining the sector during this window catch the upward wave.
The rest of the year — fishing. Peak kapenta catches (dry season) and overtime at fishing ports (Nacala, Beira, Pemba) mark key times of the year.

Job vacancies are posted with their duration — and the duration is the season. On Inademy's job listings, check the duration in the ad text before applying — for seasonal work, the duration is the season, and whoever sees the ad first applies first.

The first-job CV template and the cover letter template cover the two documents required for the season.

How Inademy helps you

Inademy covers the seasonal calendar: a free profile, applications directly in the workflow (PDF CV and cover letter when requested by the ad), and new job alerts via email and WhatsApp. The Guide's cover letter and CV templates are ready for you to adapt to each season.

For the seasonal sector, the platform's role is the same: having the right documents ready when the season opens — because the 2025–26 campaign deadline is November, and tourism hiring from March to May won't wait for your registration.

Worked example: calculating seasonal pay on your phone

You are going to harvest cashew nuts in Zambézia on a 3-month contract, splitting your time between field harvesting and shelling. Here is the calculation that separates the minimum wage floor from what you are being paid:

Harvesting (agricultural sector, floor 7,072 MT): 3 months × 7,072 MT = 21,216 MT — the legal minimum that the period must guarantee in any scenario.
Daily and hourly breakdown: 7,072 ÷ 26 days = 272.00 MT/day, and 7,072 ÷ 208 hours = 34.00 MT/hour. If the ad pays a daily or hourly rate, compare it against these two figures: anything lower is below the minimum floor.
Shelling (specific cashew floor, 7,000 MT): those who process cashews have a distinct wage floor — 7,000 MT — rather than the agriculture floor.
Tourism, 4-month high season (floor 10,600 MT): 4 × 10,600 = 42,400 MT guaranteed floor, before tips and overtime.

The rule of thumb is simple. The wage floor is the sector's baseline. A job ad promising 8,000 MT for cashew harvesting pays above the 7,072 floor — better than the law requires. An ad promising 6,000 MT in agriculture is below the floor, making that pay rate illegal, even if written in the ad.

The letter you can copy today

If the job ad says "daily rate negotiable" and no figure appears in writing, don't start in the dark. Copy, fill out, and send this before your first day of work:

Subject: Written seasonal contract — [FULL NAME]

Dear [NAME OR DEPARTMENT],

I acknowledge receipt of the job offer for the [SECTOR / PERIOD, e.g. "cashew harvest, August to October"] season. Before starting, I kindly request a written contract specifying the contract duration, the basic monthly salary in MT, and the overtime payment terms.

The statutory minimum wage floor for my sector in 2026 is [AMOUNT] MT per month, in effect since 01/04/2026. If the offered rate is below this, it is below the legal minimum — and I would prefer to resolve this before my first day, rather than after.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
[FULL NAME] · [CONTACT DETAILS]

Notice what this letter accomplishes: it accuses no one and brings the verified figure — your sector's floor — into the discussion. A written response is your proof. If the answer is no, the formal route is your provincial labor inspectorate, receipts and contract in hand.

Where these figures come from

2025–26 Agricultural Campaign (3.4 million tonnes of cereals, +7%; 929 thousand tonnes of pulses; 180 thousand tonnes of cashew nuts, +13%) — official Government data released at the campaign launch on 13 November 2025.
2026 Minimum Wages (agriculture 7,072 · cashew 7,000 · industrial fishing 7,063.22 · kapenta 4,991.09 · hospitality and tourism 10,600 MT) — official table effective since 01/04/2026; hospitality with the highest increase of the year (+9.28%).
Law 13/2023 (48h workweek, 12/30 days paid leave, presumption of contract) — current legislation.

The exact tourism high season (May to October) reflects industry practice, not official statistics — hotels set their own seasonal dates, which vary by region; check the job posting for contract duration before accepting.

Frequently asked questions

Is a seasonal contract legal, or is it a scam?

It is legal — provided the term has justified cause. The seasonal cycle (harvesting, high season, catching) is justified cause by definition. What is illegal is a fixed-term contract without cause, which Law 13/2023 converts into an indefinite contract.

How long does a seasonal contract last?

It depends on the sector: agricultural harvesting lasts 3 to 4 months, cashew season 2 to 3 months, and tourism season 4 to 6 months. Kapenta fishing runs during the dry season, and the exact duration is specified in the job posting — which defines the contract length.

Can I extend the season, or am I required to leave at the end?

The end of the contract is not a dismissal: it is the expiration of the term. The employer may renew it if they wish, and you may accept or decline. If renewed without justified cause, the contract converts into an indefinite contract — but seasonal work has cause, and conversion only applies to terms without cause.

Does the minimum wage floor apply for the entire season?

Yes. The wage floor is monthly: if the season lasts 3 months, the 7,072 MT agriculture floor applies to each of the 3 months. What varies from month to month is overtime and work outside the calendar schedule — and those rates have their own rules.

How do you enter the seasonal sector when you have no contacts?

Three ways. Job postings: the deadline is the season, and whoever sees the ad first applies first. The Guide's templates (first-job CV + cover letter) and your Inademy profile, which stays active for the next season while you work the current one.

In summary, what to do today

Choose your path: agriculture (November to May), cashew (August to October), tourism (March to May), or fisheries (dry season). The calendar in the "Where seasonal job openings are listed" section tells you the window.
Prepare your documents: first-job CV + cover letter (the Guide's templates can be completed in minutes).
Check the duration and minimum wage floor in the job posting: if not stated in writing, request a written contract before starting — the wage floor is law whether written or not, but it is easier to enforce when on paper.
Accept overtime: in seasonal work, the season is short, and overtime is what makes the difference between the minimum floor and average earnings.
Keep your Inademy profile active for the next season — hiring for the next season (March to May) starts before the high season begins.

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).