Introduction
Haiti (or Hayti) is one of the poorest nations in the Caribbean, with a free-market economy and low labor costs. The nation's economy is mainly based on agriculture, frequently disrupted by climatic hazards, and is one of the most open economies in the world. The nation is highly dependent on international aid and remittances from the diaspora to improve the business infrastructure.
According to the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics, the unemployment rate is relatively high in Haiti – about 14.5% as of 2020. The insufficiency of structured jobs has increased unemployment and under-employment—the informal sector represents 80% of total employment. More than 96% of the population frequently suffers from natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes.
Overview of Haiti
Population: 11,867,030 people (2024)
GDP: 32 billion U.S. dollars (2024 estimate)
Economic Overview
The breakdown of the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the economy of the country, and the GDP growth dropped by -3.7% in 2020. According to the updated forecast of the IMF in April 2021, the expected GDP growth will reach around 1% this year and in 2022, considering the post-pandemic global economic recovery.
Market Size
The job market is not so enriched to accommodate the whole working-age population. Despite the low labor cost, a huge percentage of the population is forced to involve themselves in informal sectors like agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining. The service sector is the biggest one offering formal employment opportunities in Haiti—banking and finance, and tourism are the primary industries.
A brief glimpse of industries
- The government has taken initiatives to improve transportation and port infrastructure. This has given the Haitian export market a sizable exposure.
- The primary industries where Haiti has started investing more are the textile and apparel industry, baseball manufacturing, food processing, electronic parts, etc.
- Being home to miles of breath-taking beaches and crystal blue waters, the tourism industry in Haiti is currently the top moneymaker. A good percentage of people are engaged in jobs related to the food business, hotel and tourism companies, and travel agencies.
- The Haitian government is working to strengthen the tertiary sector to improve the economy of the country through different skill training policies and programs.
- Haiti’s services sector is labored intensively and relatively inefficient. Operations are sometimes quite informal.
- The average Internet speed in Haiti is 14.03 Mbps. The average download speed in Haiti is 15.03 Mbps, and the upload speed is 12.66 Mbps.
- In Haiti, E-Commerce is a slow-growing sector due to limited internet infrastructure and regulation.
Cost of living in Haiti
The cost of living in Haiti significantly depends on your lifestyle—living cost for locals is quite affordable compared to a luxurious one. The cost of living in the nation depends on factors like the location where you want to live, the type of industry dominant in that area, state revenue, taxation policies, and so on. House rent is the main factor that determines the cost of living. The following table represents an insight into the cost of living in Haiti.
Average Living Cost in Haiti
Category |
Area of expense |
Estimated Monthly Cost (USD) |
Rental |
Monthly rent for a 3 bedroom apartment in City Center |
$ 962.63 |
Rental |
Monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in City Center |
$ 702.36 |
Food and beverage |
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)
Milk (1 Liter) |
$ 15.00
$ 3.00
$ 2.05 |
Transport costs |
Monthly ticket public transport |
$ 29.41 |
Utilities |
Including water, cooling, heating, and garbage services
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
$ 117.81
$ 63.30 |
Personal care |
Membership at a fitness club |
$ 85.00 |
Salary structure for various roles in Haiti
The following table represents the average monthly salary of different sectors in Haiti.
Working Area |
Average salary depending on the role (HTG) |
Accounting and Finance (Chartered Accountant) |
HTG 58,800 |
Administration / Reception / Secretarial (Office Manager) |
HTG 56,200 |
Advertising / Graphic Design / Events (Graphic Designer) |
HTG 42,000 |
Airlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense (Aerospace Engineer) |
HTG 81,000 |
Architecture (Architect) |
HTG 80,600 |
Automotive (Mechanic) |
HTG 24,300 |
Banking (Bank Branch Manager) |
HTG 113,000 |
Bilingual (Teacher) |
HTG 50,100 |
Business Planning (Business Analyst) |
HTG 78,000 |
Construction / Building / Installation (Construction Project Manager) |
HTG 109,000 |
Customer Service (Customer Service Manager) |
HTG 89,800 |
Engineering (Electrical Engineer) |
HTG 63,100 |
Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering (Hotel Manager) |
HTG 119,000 |
Health and Medical (Nurse) |
HTG 48,600 |
Human Resources (Human Resources Manager) |
HTG 102,000 |
Information Technology (Developer / Programmer) |
HTG 60,300 |
Law Enforcement / Security / Fire ( police Officer) |
HTG 40,000 |
Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment (Journalist) |
HTG 69,900 |
Cost of renting
Accommodation cost varies a lot depending on its position in a city, type and size of the apartment, etc. Modern apartments in City centers are more expensive than apartments outside the City Center.
Your cost of living in Haiti depends on your location
Name of the Cities |
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
Cost of Living without rent /person |
Rent |
Port-au-Prince |
$ 983.86 |
$ 941.32 |
$ 925 |
Petionville |
$ 1,209.26 |
$ 952.67 |
$ 400 – 450 |
Cap-Haïtien |
$ 808.99 |
$ 459.23 |
$ 370 – 400 |
Delmas |
$ 879.03 |
$ 568.97 |
$ 280 – 390 |
Carrefour |
$ 654.00 |
$ 605.88 |
$ 324 – 456 |
Léogâne |
$ 702.78 |
$ 598.44 |
$ 356 – 489 |
The top sectors that are expected to hire in Haiti in 2024
S.No |
Industries |
Employment by sector (in % of Total Employment) |
Value Added (in % of GDP) |
Value Added (Annual % Change) |
1 |
Agriculture |
28.3 |
19.5 |
- 1.2 |
2 |
Industry (food and beverages processing, textile, electronic parts, consumer goods manufacturing, etc. ) |
6.6 |
70.8 |
0.5 |
3 |
Services (tourism, banking, and finance, broadcast and entertainment, computer hardware, etc.) |
65.0 |
12.1 |
- 1.4 |
Top Skills in Haiti
The formal job market in Haiti is not so enriched. The primary sources of service-related employment are tourism, national and local government, finance, and trade. Top skills in-demand in Haiti are accounting, sales, human resource management, senior manager, health officer, graphic designer, front-end and back-end developer, web developer, etc.
Significant industries hiring in Haiti are:
- Food and beverage industry
- Textile
- Information Technology and Services
- International Trade and Development
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Consumer goods industry
- Computer hardware
- Telecommunication
- Broadcasting & entertainment
Top Skills City-wise Occupation-wise
Capital city Port-au-Prince is one of the largest economic and financial centers of the nation. Being the major exporter of coffee, sugar, shoes, apparel, and baseballs, the city offers multiple job opportunities in relevant industries. The significant industries providing employment options to freshers as well as experienced professionals are:
- Food-processing plants
- Consumer goods manufacturing industry
- Textile factories
- Cement factories
- Tourism
- Broadcast and entertainment
- Banks
- Airlines
- Computer hardware
Cap-Haïtien is a tourism destination, and most jobs are available in the food business, shops, hotel and tourism companies, and travel agencies.
Delmas is the location of commercial and industrial enterprises. The city offers job opportunities to skilled persons in:
- Consumer services
- Hotels
- Publishing
- Banks
- Consumer goods industry
Carrefour is enriched in agribusiness—food and beverage processing, packaging, labeling, and storage units exist here. Apart from that, the banking industry, retail shops, and local markets offer formal and informal jobs to the local people.
Léogâne is enriched with the sugar industry, coffee mills, and other agri-businesses offering formal and informal job opportunities to a large population.
Hiring Cost
Cost-per-hire is a crucial factor for organizations planning to expand, especially when planning to recruit in a foreign country. Cost of hiring is a cumulative sum of all the costs associated with filling a position, such as:
- Advertising expenses
- Recruiting events costs (Screening cost, Interview cost)
- Recruitment software fees
- On-boarding cost
- Training cost
- Travel costs
- Administrative costs
For an effective hiring program in a particular city, a proper assessment of living costs is essential to calculate the compensation for an employee.
Employment Laws in Haiti
There is no particular labor code in Haiti. Employment laws of the nation are primarily based on the Constitution of Haiti and some other acts. The primary laws governing employment relationships in Haiti are:
- the Union Law
- the Labor Contract Law
- the Work Safety Law
- the Collective Contract Regulations
- the Social Security Law
The regulations that apply are very simple; however, the authorities have substantial power.
For a formal position, written work contracts are mandatory and must be furnished with the following information:
- Details about contracting parties
- The date of commencement of work
- The designation of the Job, along with the type of work
- Job location
- The type of contract (part-time / full-time)
- Working time
- The amount of basic salary
- The terms of payment
- Annual leave
- Duration of the notice period
- A reference to collective agreements
How Can Skuad Help You in Hiring in Haiti?
Hiring in Haiti needs a thorough skill hunt along with in-depth knowledge of the employment laws, trends, city-wise living costs, lots of paperwork, etc. To make hiring easy and beneficial for your organization, you can consider Skuad as a single-step hiring solution. Skuad can make your hiring simple and allow you to concentrate on your projects and expansion plans without any hiring stress. Contact Skuad Experts to know more.