Guernsey has its own legal framework with regard to employing staff.
Relocating your business with existing staff to Guernsey
If your business needs to bring over certain key essential staff the Population Management Office may be able to grant Employment Permits. These enable employers to recruit staff from off-island, based on their skills and experience. The Population Management Office, when granting these Permits, will always have regard to whether the skills you need are already available on the island.
The Locate Guernsey team are on hand to smooth the transition of your existing business to the island. Please get in touch with the team, who will happily talk you through the process in more detail.
Visas for Work Purposes
It is important to note that if the employees your business will be bringing to the island do not have a UK or Irish Passport, or do not have any form of UK-settled status, they will need to a visa to live and work in Guernsey. Currently, there are different visa rules for EU nationals and Rest of World nationals, although work is currently being undertaken for these rules to be closer aligned.
Currently, employers of employees with EU passports are able to apply for a visa when making the application for an Employment Permit through the Population Management office. The duration of the visa would depend on the type of Employment Permit awarded.
For nationals outside of the EU, a separate Work Permit application must be made. An application for a Work Permit can only be made by the employer and Permits are issued by the Guernsey Border Agency.
More information can be found here:
Recruiting Staff in Guernsey
A wide variety of professional skills are available in Guernsey. No additional pre-requisites are necessary for employing locally qualified individuals.
Locate Guernsey can provide you with a list of Recruitment Agencies to help you with your search for staff.
The Job Centre
The Job Centre works closely with local employers to assist with their recruitment needs. It offers a free job vacancy service and assistance can also be provided with setting up interviews for multiple candidates. Vacancies are displayed on its website and also on the job vacancy boards at Edward T Wheadon House.
In addition, recruitment grants are available to employers through the Job Centre to assist with the cost of training or up-skilling individuals who have been unemployed or long term sick for more than six months.
A job matching service is available which can help employers by identifying a shortlist of potential candidates, using their vacancy criteria.
Employing Staff
Employment Relocations
The Employment Relations Service is available to both employers and employees, providing practical guidance on employment rights and responsibilities, employment legislation and information on employment related and workplace issues.
Employment Contract
There is certain information which must be included in the written statement of the terms and conditions of employment and further information together with an example of a written statement are available on the Employment Relations website above.
Minimum Wage
Under Guernsey law, all qualifying workers have a right to be paid not less than the minimum wage.
More information
Corporate Tax & Social Security Registering as an Employer