Monaco
Regulatory Environment
Employment legislation in Monaco might be
said to be somewhat old-fashioned. The
extensive employment protection available
to EU citizens does not apply, and there
is not much in the way of equivalent Monagesque
law.
The great majority of employees in Monaco
are not Monagesque at all, but either
foreign residents or day-commuters from
population centres in France and Italy.
Such individuals do not have a strong
negotiating position with their employers.
Many of them are in fact on short-term
contracts which can bypass what legal
protection does exist. Unemployment in
Monaco is low, although much of it is probably voluntary.
There are trades unions in Monaco, and they
have a Federation, which has called demonstrations
from time to time to protest about job
insecurity, hiring and firing practices,
and the absence of statutory protection.
Demonstrators are likely to be non-Monagesque,
because the original citizens, called
'feudals' by other residents, receive
privileged treatment and are unlikely
to be discontented.
After one particularly large demonstration
five years ago Prince Rainier made some
concessions, but for the most part nothing
changes.
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Monaco Work Permits
Any non-French national wishing to take up
employment in Monaco must obtain a work
permit from the authorities. To obtain
a work permit the foreign national must
submit a visa application, a contract
of employment and evidence of a fixed
address in Monaco. There are no quotas
on the hiring of foreign nationals and
work permits are not hard to obtain but
Government policy is for priority to be
given to residents and nationals of Monaco.
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