Overview of Sierra Leone

The Republic of Sierra Leone, commonly known as Sierra Leone, is a coastal nation of West Africa. Sierra Leone has faced several wars in its history. It has been a poor nation for a very long period. Most of the citizens of Sierra Leone are combatants who have taken active participation in the country's civil war. The currency of Sierra Leone is Leone, denoted by SLL. There is only one bank in the whole nation, viz. the Bank of Sierra Leone.

Total population – 8,059,155

GDP – US $26.89 billion (2024 est.)

Economic Overview

The economy of Sierra Leone is very poor. Its PPP GDP is US $12.177 billion (124,875.13 billion SLL). With this GDP, the per capita income stands to be US $1,608 (16,490,040.00 SLL). When it comes to the nominal GDP, the records have shown it to be significantly less. The nominal GDP of Sierra Leone is US $3.824 billion (39,215.12 billion SLL). On account of that, the per capita income is US $505 (5,178,775.00 SLL).

Market size

The public sector dominates the market of Sierra Leone. The most prominent sectors in the market of Sierra Leone are agriculture, mining, telecommunications, tourism, and transport. Each of these sectors makes significant contributions to the total GDP of Sierra Leone.

A brief glimpse of the industries

• The agriculture sector of Sierra Leone is the sector that most of the population of Sierra Leone is involved in. Almost two-thirds of the population of Sierra Leone practices agriculture. The most produced crop in Sierra Leone is rice.
• Sierra Leone is very rich in minerals. That has led to the mining sector of Sierra Leone. It has large mines of diamonds. These diamonds are sold in the international markets for very attractive prices
• Telecommunications is a budding sector in Sierra Leone. Almost 72% of the population of Sierra Leone listens to the radio. Internet connectivity has not been fully established in the nation, but constant efforts are being made.

Cost of living in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is one of the poorest nations in the world. That is why the cost of living in Sierra Leone is extremely low. As an expat, you can enjoy a good standard of living at a minimal cost in various cities across the country. The table below lists the cost of living in Sierra Leone for your reference:

Cost of Renting

The cost of renting depends mainly on the area of your housing facility. The larger the area, the greater the rent. Not a lot of amenities are available in Sierra Leone, which makes the cost of renting even cheaper. You might prefer to live around the capital city Freetown as it houses all the amenities you may require for a comfortable living.

Cost of living depending upon your location

The cost of living in Sierra Leone is almost similar throughout the nation. Every few regions have a higher cost of living than the others.

• The tier 1 cities such as Freetown, Kenema, Bo, etc., have the highest cost of living.
• The tier 2 cities, such as Wangechi, Kalewa, Magburaka, etc., have an average cost of living.
• The tier 3 cities, such as Alitalia, Daru, Binkolo, etc., offer the lowest cost of living.

Mentioned below are details regarding the cost of living in the leading Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities of Sierra Leone.

The top sectors that are expected to hire in 2024 in Sierra Leone are:.

Top skills in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is an underdeveloped country. Hence, the natives are not very skilled. But Sierra Leone requires highly skilled programmers, manufacturers, technicians, and construction workers.

Major skills and areas which have witnessed a recent growth rate

• Education and Training
• Health Development
• Finance
• Telecommunications

Hiring Cost

The cost of hiring is the cost spent on the hiring process for new personnel. The cost of hiring covers the following aspects

• Onboarding costs
• Training costs
• Interview process
• Time invested

Salary structure for various roles

The table below highlights the average salaries that are offered to employees in Sierra Leone according to different sectors:

Employment laws in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone does not have strong employment or labour laws. The few laws that exist cover the following aspects

• Health
• Employment of women
• Death of employee
• Working hours

The laws and regulations that govern the employment relationships in Sierra Leone are based upon

• Contracts of service
• Labour codes
• General labour and employment acts

How Can Skuad Help You with Hiring in Sierra Leone?

In order to hire the best talent in Sierra Leone, you must be prepared to conduct a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. There are several steps in the entire process that you must complete as per the guidelines from the government. With experienced consultants at Skuad, all your doubts pertaining to the recruitment processes are properly addressed. Connect with Skuad Experts to know more.