Tanzania's main industries include agriculture, fishing, mining, manufacturing, energy, telecommunications, and information technology. Many people work in tourism, as Tanzania is home to some of Africa's most popular tourist destinations, including the Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, and Olduvai Gorge. According to statistics, in 2019, 65.09% of Tanzanians worked in agriculture, 6.47% in industry, and 28.44% in the service sector. 

The minimum wage in Tanzania ranges from TSh40,000 for domestic workers, to TSh400,000 for workers in financial services, international companies, and telecommunication.

Tanzanian employees can be paid daily, weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. Staff paid monthly must receive their salaries by the last day of the month. 

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1. Annual leave

Annual leave is offered to employees and they are required to be paid in full during the time off work. An employee is only eligible for annual leave 12 months after starting their job. However, the annual leave only matures six months after the start date. The leave time includes the weekly rest period as well as any public holidays. 

The leave comprises 28 consecutive days per year. 

2. Sick leave

The current labor rules stipulate that employees are entitled to a maximum of 126 days of paid sick leave in a 36-month cycle if they submit a medical certificate to verify their illness.

However, not all 126 days are entirely reimbursable. An employee is entitled to receive their full wage for the first 63 days and a half salary for the subsequent 63 days. If the employee's illness continues after the 126 days have expired and they are still unable to work, the employer may choose to terminate the employee's employment on medical grounds.

3. Maternity leave

Within a 36-month leave cycle, female workers are entitled to at least twelve weeks (84 days) of fully paid maternity leave or 100 consecutive days (in the case of multiple births). If a newborn dies within a year of birth, a worker is entitled to 84 days of paid maternity leave within a leave cycle. 

4. Paternity leave 

Paternity leave lasts 3 days during the course of a thirty-six-month leave cycle. The three days refer to the overall number of days in the leave cycle, regardless of the number of children born.

The termination process commences once written notice is provided. The notice must include the reason and the termination date. 

Notice period

• If the termination falls within the first month of employment, the employee should be given seven days’ notice. 
• Staff employed on a weekly or daily basis should be given four days notice. 
• For monthly employees, they are given 28 days notice. 

Severance Pay

To be eligible for severance pay, employees must have worked in an organization for at least 12 months =. Severance pay is calculated as seven days of compensation for each year of employment, with a maximum of 10 years. 

Probation Period

The law in Tanzania does not specify a probation period; nonetheless, the law specifies that an employee cannot claim unfair dismissal if dismissed within the first six months of work.