Minimum Wage in Zambia 2026: Domestic, Shop and General Worker Rates

Zambia has no single national minimum wage. Instead, the Minister of Labour sets legal pay floors for specific groups of workers through Statutory Instruments. As of October 2026, the rates in force are those in Statutory Instruments 48, 49 and 50 of 2023, which took effect on 1 January 2024: K1,100 a month basic for domestic workers (K1,300 with the transport allowance), and K1,487 a month basic for the lowest-paid shop and general workers, rising to K3,142.26 for a shop supervisor or cashier. Non-unionised bus and truck drivers have a separate floor of K3,000 and K4,000 a month under Statutory Instrument 3 of 2025.

This guide explains who each Order covers, what the monthly and hourly figures are, which allowances must be paid on top, how overtime works, and what to do if you are being paid less than the law allows. All figures below come from the Statutory Instruments themselves or from Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) statements, and the links are in the sources section at the end.

How minimum wages work in Zambia

The Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019 is Zambia's main labour law. Section 106 of the Act gives the Minister of Labour and Social Security the power to fix minimum wages and conditions of employment for a sector or category of workers by Statutory Instrument (SI). Three such Orders were signed on 20 November 2023, gazetted on 24 November 2023 and came into operation on 1 January 2024:

SI 48 of 2023 – the Employment Code (Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment) (General) Order, covering general workers such as cleaners, guards, drivers, receptionists and clerks.
SI 49 of 2023 – the Employment Code (Domestic Workers Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment) Order, covering maids, gardeners, nannies, cooks and other household workers.
SI 50 of 2023 – the Employment Code (Shop Workers Minimum Wages and Conditions of Employment) Order, covering people employed in or in connection with a shop, including online shops, hair salons and barbershops.

The Orders replaced the 2011 Orders and the rates announced in December 2022. In January 2025 the government added a fourth instrument, SI 3 of 2025, which raised the floor for non-unionised bus and truck drivers. We have found no newer Statutory Instrument replacing the 2023 Orders at the time of writing, so the figures below remain the legal minimums for 2026. Check the MLSS website or the Government Gazette before relying on them in a dispute, because the Minister can revise the rates at any time.

Domestic workers' minimum wage (SI 49 of 2023)

The Domestic Workers Order sets one rate for all domestic workers, with no grades:

Basic pay: at least K5.29 per hour or K1,100.00 per month, excluding anything paid in place of rations (food).
Transport allowance: K200.00 per month if the worker lives more than 3 km from the workplace, unless the employer provides transport. This is why the figure of K1,300 is widely quoted as the domestic worker minimum.
Pay day: monthly workers must be paid on the last day of each month; task-based workers must be paid when the task is finished.
Separation package: when the contract ends, the worker is entitled to at least one month's basic pay for every two completed years of service plus any other dues. A worker cannot claim both the separation package and gratuity.
Protective equipment: the employer must supply PPE for any work that could injure the worker.
Protected pay: a domestic worker who was already earning above the minimum when the Order started keeps that higher wage.

The Order does not apply to domestic workers covered by a collective agreement, to a sector with its own prescribed minimum wage, or to people doing domestic work on a piece-work basis.

Shop workers' minimum wage (SI 50 of 2023)

Shop workers are graded into seven categories by occupation. The basic monthly and hourly minimums are:

Category I – K1,487.00 a month (K7.15 an hour): packers and wrappers, delivery vehicle assistants, general workers, handy persons, office orderlies, cleaners and helpers, security guards.
Category II – K1,801.98 a month (K8.66 an hour): sales assistants, waiters and bartenders, hairdressers and beauticians, ticket clerks and shopkeepers, packers, lift operators, riders of motorcycles or three-wheelers.
Category III – K2,121.35 a month (K10.19 an hour): drivers with an ordinary licence, shelf packers, shoe repairers, tailor's assistants, assistant dispatch clerks, window dresser's assistants, assistant bicycle assemblers.
Category IV – K2,296.89 a month (K11.04 an hour): check-out operators, drivers needing a heavy-duty or PSV licence, telephone operators, phone repairers, typists, picture framers, bicycle assemblers.
Category V – K2,680.92 a month (K12.89 an hour): sales persons, dispatch clerks, order persons, tailors, upholsterers.
Category VI – K2,861.50 a month (K13.76 an hour): audio-visual equipment repairers, machine operators, watch repairers.
Category VII – K3,142.26 a month (K15.10 an hour): supervisors, cashiers, window dressers, stenographers.

On top of basic pay, the Shop Workers Order requires these allowances and conditions:

Housing allowance: 30% of basic pay where the employer does not house the worker. For a Category I worker that is K446.10.
Transport allowance: K200.00 a month for workers whose duty station is more than 3 km from home, unless transport is provided.
Lunch allowance: K180.00 a month, unless the employer provides a free, adequate meal.
Night shift differential: an extra 15% of the hourly rate for every hour worked between 18:00 and 06:00.
Subsistence allowance: at least K390.00 per night spent away from home on the employer's business, or at least US$25 a night when working outside Zambia.
Funeral assistance: a standard coffin and a cash grant of K1,500 on the death of the worker, their spouse, registered child or dependant.
Tool and machine allowance: at least K150 a month if the worker must supply their own tools, and K150 a month for a tailor who provides their own sewing machine.
Upset allowance: one month's full salary plus transport when permanently transferred to another town.
Part-time and casual workers: paid pro rata based on a 208-hour month.
Pay slips: every worker must receive a written pay statement showing hours worked, overtime, gross pay, deductions and net pay, and the employer must keep a copy.

Putting that together, a Category I shop worker who lives more than 3 km away and is not housed or fed by the employer should receive at least K2,313.10 a month (K1,487 basic + K446.10 housing + K200 transport + K180 lunch). The Shop Workers Order does not cover the motor trade or petroleum industry, charity shops, hawkers, people selling farm produce for a bona fide farmer, or managers.

General workers' minimum wage (SI 48 of 2023)

The General Order covers workers who are not shop workers or domestic workers and who do not fall under another sector-specific instrument. It uses the same allowance structure as the Shop Workers Order (30% housing, K200 transport, K180 lunch). The basic monthly minimums by category are:

Category I – K1,487.00: general workers, cleaners, helpers, office orderlies, handy persons and service station attendants.
Category II – K1,487.00: security guards and watchpersons.
Category III – K1,801.98: assistant sales persons, packers and bookbinders.
Category IV – K2,119.23: drivers and pump attendants.
Category V – K2,296.89: typists and receptionists.
Category VI – K2,680.92: sales persons.
Category VII – K2,861.36: qualified clerks.

With allowances, that means a general worker or security guard in Category I or II should be on at least K2,313.10 a month, a driver in Category IV on about K3,135, and a qualified clerk in Category VII on about K4,099.77.

The General Order does not apply to civil servants, local authority employees, domestic workers, managers, unionised workers whose pay is set by collective bargaining, workers whose existing conditions are better than the Order, or workers in a sector with its own minimum wage. Employers may not use the Order as the starting point for negotiating with workers who are exempt from it.

Bus and truck drivers (SI 3 of 2025)

In January 2025 the government announced a separate revision for non-unionised drivers of public service vehicles, published as Statutory Instrument 3 of 2025. According to the MLSS statement of 11 April 2025, the new rates took effect that month:

Bus drivers: basic minimum wage up from K2,200 to K3,000 a month.
Truck drivers: basic minimum wage up from K3,000 to K4,000 a month.
Cross-border subsistence: US$30 a night for vehicles without a sleeping cabin and US$20 a night for vehicles with one.

The Ministry warned that it would run joint inspections with statutory bodies and that employers who did not comply would face sanctions.

Overtime, hours and public holidays

The minimum wage Orders set basic pay; the Employment Code Act sets the rules on hours. The standard working week in Zambia is 48 hours. The hourly rate for a monthly-paid worker is worked out by dividing the monthly wage by 208 hours (240 hours for guards and watchpersons). Hours worked beyond the normal week must be paid at no less than one and a half times the hourly rate, and work on a weekly rest day or a public holiday must be paid at double time unless a collective agreement or contract provides otherwise for workers who normally work on those days.

What to do if you are paid below the minimum wage

Check which Order covers you. Compare your job title with the categories above. If your employer has a recognised union and a collective agreement, that agreement sets your pay instead.
Ask for a pay slip. Employers covered by the Shop Workers Order must issue one; it is also good practice under the Employment Code generally. The slip shows whether housing, transport and lunch allowances are being paid.
Raise it in writing with your employer. Quote the Statutory Instrument number and the category you believe applies. Many underpayments are corrected at this stage.
Report to the Labour Office. If nothing changes, lodge a complaint with the nearest District Labour Office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Labour inspectors can order back pay and the Ministry has said non-compliance leads to sanctions.
Keep records. Save contracts, messages, time sheets and payment records; they are the evidence an inspector or a court will ask for.

A note on job offers and recruitment scams

Genuine employers in Zambia do not charge "registration", "medical" or "processing" fees to give you a job, and no legitimate vacancy pays below the Statutory Instrument floor for its category. If an advert on social media offers a shop or general worker role at a wage below K1,487 basic, or asks for money before an interview, treat it as a warning sign. Apply only through the employer's own website, verified email domains or established job boards, and never share your NRC, bank or mobile money PIN with a recruiter. You can browse verified jobs in Zambia and jobs in Lusaka on Jobsiz, including entry-level jobs and retail jobs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage in Zambia in 2026?

There is no single national figure. Under the Orders in force, domestic workers must earn at least K1,100 a month basic (K1,300 with transport allowance), shop and general workers at least K1,487 a month basic plus 30% housing, K200 transport and K180 lunch allowances, and non-unionised bus and truck drivers at least K3,000 and K4,000 a month respectively.

What is the minimum wage for a maid or domestic worker in Zambia?

K5.29 an hour or K1,100 a month, plus a K200 monthly transport allowance if the worker lives more than 3 km from the home and the employer does not provide transport, giving the commonly quoted K1,300.

What is the minimum wage for a security guard in Zambia?

Security guards fall under Category II of the General Order (and Category I of the Shop Workers Order) at K1,487 a month basic. With the 30% housing allowance, K200 transport and K180 lunch allowance, the gross minimum is K2,313.10 a month, unless the guard is unionised and covered by a collective agreement.

Is the housing allowance compulsory?

Yes, for shop and general workers whose employer does not provide accommodation. It is 30% of basic pay. The Domestic Workers Order does not include a housing allowance.

When was the Zambian minimum wage last increased?

The general, shop and domestic worker rates were last revised by Statutory Instruments 48, 49 and 50 of 2023, effective 1 January 2024. Bus and truck driver rates were raised by Statutory Instrument 3 of 2025, effective April 2025. No newer Order had been gazetted when this article was written.

Sources

Related reading on Jobsiz: how to apply for FQM jobs at Kansanshi and Kalumbila, UN jobs in Zambia, the minimum wage in South Africa and the minimum wage in Botswana. Looking for work? Build a free CV with the Jobsiz CV builder and set up alerts for new vacancies in Zambia.

Written by the Jobsiz Editorial Team. Last updated 25 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice; confirm current rates with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security before relying on them.