Employment Restrictions for Foreigners

This ranking compares how strongly foreign employment is restricted by quotas, labour-market tests, employer binding, closed professions or sector rules. The raw value is a 0-100 restriction value; lower raw values improve the rating.
1 Denmark0 restriction points 0 restriction points 100
1 Finland0 restriction points 0 restriction points 100
1 Norway0 restriction points 0 restriction points 100
4 Estonia1 restriction point 1 restriction point 99
4 Sweden1 restriction point 1 restriction point 99
6 Netherlands2 restriction points 2 restriction points 98
7 Ireland4 restriction points 4 restriction points 96
7 Switzerland4 restriction points 4 restriction points 96
9 Iceland5 restriction points 5 restriction points 95
10 Austria6 restriction points 6 restriction points 94
10 Luxembourg6 restriction points 6 restriction points 94
12 Faroe Islands7 restriction points 7 restriction points 93
12 Germany7 restriction points 7 restriction points 93
12 Gibraltar7 restriction points 7 restriction points 93
12 Monaco7 restriction points 7 restriction points 93
16 Liechtenstein8 restriction points 8 restriction points 92
16 Singapore8 restriction points 8 restriction points 92
18 Malta9 restriction points 9 restriction points 91
18 Portugal9 restriction points 9 restriction points 91
18 San Marino9 restriction points 9 restriction points 91
21 Andorra11 restriction points 11 restriction points 89
21 Spain11 restriction points 11 restriction points 89
23 Belgium12 restriction points 12 restriction points 88
23 New Zealand12 restriction points 12 restriction points 88
25 France13 restriction points 13 restriction points 87
25 Latvia13 restriction points 13 restriction points 87
25 Lithuania13 restriction points 13 restriction points 87
28 Canada14 restriction points 14 restriction points 86
28 Czech Republic14 restriction points 14 restriction points 86
28 Slovenia14 restriction points 14 restriction points 86
31 Australia15 restriction points 15 restriction points 85
31 Cyprus15 restriction points 15 restriction points 85
31 United Kingdom15 restriction points 15 restriction points 85
34 Cayman Islands18 restriction points 18 restriction points 82
34 Croatia18 restriction points 18 restriction points 82
34 Italy18 restriction points 18 restriction points 82
34 Slovakia18 restriction points 18 restriction points 82
38 Bermuda19 restriction points 19 restriction points 81
38 Poland19 restriction points 19 restriction points 81
40 Japan20 restriction points 20 restriction points 80
40 United States20 restriction points 20 restriction points 80
42 Greece21 restriction points 21 restriction points 79
42 Greenland21 restriction points 21 restriction points 79
42 Romania21 restriction points 21 restriction points 79
45 British Virgin Islands22 restriction points 22 restriction points 78
45 Turks and Caicos Islands22 restriction points 22 restriction points 78
47 Bulgaria23 restriction points 23 restriction points 77
47 Hong Kong23 restriction points 23 restriction points 77
47 Hungary23 restriction points 23 restriction points 77
47 Korea Republic23 restriction points 23 restriction points 77
47 Uruguay23 restriction points 23 restriction points 77
52 Anguilla24 restriction points 24 restriction points 76
52 Chile24 restriction points 24 restriction points 76
52 Chinese Taipei24 restriction points 24 restriction points 76
52 Georgia24 restriction points 24 restriction points 76
56 Aruba25 restriction points 25 restriction points 75
56 Mauritius25 restriction points 25 restriction points 75
58 Curacao26 restriction points 26 restriction points 74
58 Martinique26 restriction points 26 restriction points 74
58 Montserrat26 restriction points 26 restriction points 74
58 Réunion26 restriction points 26 restriction points 74
58 Tahiti26 restriction points 26 restriction points 74
63 French Guiana27 restriction points 27 restriction points 73
63 Guadeloupe27 restriction points 27 restriction points 73
63 Macau27 restriction points 27 restriction points 73
63 Saint Pierre and Miquelon27 restriction points 27 restriction points 73
63 Saint-Martin27 restriction points 27 restriction points 73
63 Sint Maarten27 restriction points 27 restriction points 73
69 Barbados28 restriction points 28 restriction points 72
69 Costa Rica28 restriction points 28 restriction points 72
69 New Caledonia28 restriction points 28 restriction points 72
69 Puerto Rico28 restriction points 28 restriction points 72
69 United Arab Emirates28 restriction points 28 restriction points 72
74 Cook Islands29 restriction points 29 restriction points 71
75 Bahamas30 restriction points 30 restriction points 70
75 Guam30 restriction points 30 restriction points 70
75 Panama30 restriction points 30 restriction points 70
75 U.S. Virgin Islands30 restriction points 30 restriction points 70
79 American Samoa31 restriction points 31 restriction points 69
79 Mayotte31 restriction points 31 restriction points 69
79 Northern Mariana Islands31 restriction points 31 restriction points 69
82 Malaysia32 restriction points 32 restriction points 68
82 Niue32 restriction points 32 restriction points 68
82 Seychelles32 restriction points 32 restriction points 68
85 Antigua and Barbuda33 restriction points 33 restriction points 67
85 Saint Kitts and Nevis33 restriction points 33 restriction points 67
87 Grenada34 restriction points 34 restriction points 66
87 Saint Lucia34 restriction points 34 restriction points 66
89 Mexico35 restriction points 35 restriction points 65
89 Montenegro35 restriction points 35 restriction points 65
89 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines35 restriction points 35 restriction points 65
92 Armenia36 restriction points 36 restriction points 64
92 Dominica36 restriction points 36 restriction points 64
92 North Macedonia36 restriction points 36 restriction points 64
92 Serbia36 restriction points 36 restriction points 64
92 Wallis and Futuna36 restriction points 36 restriction points 64
97 Albania37 restriction points 37 restriction points 63
97 Israel37 restriction points 37 restriction points 63
97 Samoa37 restriction points 37 restriction points 63
100 Botswana38 restriction points 38 restriction points 62
100 Cape Verde38 restriction points 38 restriction points 62
100 Fiji38 restriction points 38 restriction points 62
103 Belize39 restriction points 39 restriction points 61
103 Jamaica39 restriction points 39 restriction points 61
103 Trinidad and Tobago39 restriction points 39 restriction points 61
106 Argentina40 restriction points 40 restriction points 60
106 Bosnia and Herzegovina40 restriction points 40 restriction points 60
106 Palau40 restriction points 40 restriction points 60
106 Peru40 restriction points 40 restriction points 60
110 Kazakhstan41 restriction points 41 restriction points 59
110 Kosovo41 restriction points 41 restriction points 59
110 Micronesia41 restriction points 41 restriction points 59
110 Moldova41 restriction points 41 restriction points 59
110 South Africa41 restriction points 41 restriction points 59
115 Brunei42 restriction points 42 restriction points 58
115 Dominican Republic42 restriction points 42 restriction points 58
115 Namibia42 restriction points 42 restriction points 58
115 Rwanda42 restriction points 42 restriction points 58
119 Colombia43 restriction points 43 restriction points 57
119 Guyana43 restriction points 43 restriction points 57
119 Mongolia43 restriction points 43 restriction points 57
119 Tonga43 restriction points 43 restriction points 57
123 Bahrain44 restriction points 44 restriction points 56
123 Brazil44 restriction points 44 restriction points 56
123 Marshall Islands44 restriction points 44 restriction points 56
123 Nauru44 restriction points 44 restriction points 56
123 Thailand44 restriction points 44 restriction points 56
123 Vanuatu44 restriction points 44 restriction points 56
129 El Salvador45 restriction points 45 restriction points 55
129 Paraguay45 restriction points 45 restriction points 55
129 Suriname45 restriction points 45 restriction points 55
129 Turkey45 restriction points 45 restriction points 55
133 Azerbaijan46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
133 Ecuador46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
133 Guatemala46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
133 Morocco46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
133 Philippines46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
133 Qatar46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
133 Tunisia46 restriction points 46 restriction points 54
140 Kiribati47 restriction points 47 restriction points 53
140 Kyrgyzstan47 restriction points 47 restriction points 53
140 Tuvalu47 restriction points 47 restriction points 53
143 Indonesia48 restriction points 48 restriction points 52
143 Kenya48 restriction points 48 restriction points 52
145 Benin49 restriction points 49 restriction points 51
145 Senegal49 restriction points 49 restriction points 51
145 Uzbekistan49 restriction points 49 restriction points 51
148 Bolivia50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
148 Cambodia50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
148 Ghana50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
148 Honduras50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
148 Solomon Islands50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
148 Tanzania50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
148 Vietnam50 restriction points 50 restriction points 50
155 Lesotho51 restriction points 51 restriction points 49
155 São Tomé and Príncipe51 restriction points 51 restriction points 49
155 Sri Lanka51 restriction points 51 restriction points 49
155 Swaziland51 restriction points 51 restriction points 49
155 Ukraine51 restriction points 51 restriction points 49
155 Zambia51 restriction points 51 restriction points 49
161 Jordan52 restriction points 52 restriction points 48
161 Oman52 restriction points 52 restriction points 48
163 Djibouti53 restriction points 53 restriction points 47
163 Malawi53 restriction points 53 restriction points 47
163 Timor-Leste53 restriction points 53 restriction points 47
163 Uganda53 restriction points 53 restriction points 47
167 Egypt54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 Gambia54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 India54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 Ivory Coast54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 Madagascar54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 Nicaragua54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 Togo54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
167 Zanzibar54 restriction points 54 restriction points 46
175 Bhutan55 restriction points 55 restriction points 45
176 Gabon56 restriction points 56 restriction points 44
177 Nepal57 restriction points 57 restriction points 43
178 Bangladesh58 restriction points 58 restriction points 42
178 Maldives58 restriction points 58 restriction points 42
178 Tajikistan58 restriction points 58 restriction points 42
181 Belarus59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
181 China59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
181 Comoros59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
181 Laos59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
181 Mozambique59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
181 Russia59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
181 Saudi Arabia59 restriction points 59 restriction points 41
188 Algeria60 restriction points 60 restriction points 40
188 Kuwait60 restriction points 60 restriction points 40
190 Burkina Faso61 restriction points 61 restriction points 39
190 Nigeria61 restriction points 61 restriction points 39
192 Guinea62 restriction points 62 restriction points 38
192 Guinea-Bissau62 restriction points 62 restriction points 38
192 Pakistan62 restriction points 62 restriction points 38
192 Papua New Guinea62 restriction points 62 restriction points 38
196 Liberia63 restriction points 63 restriction points 37
196 Mauritania63 restriction points 63 restriction points 37
198 Sierra Leone65 restriction points 65 restriction points 35
198 Zimbabwe65 restriction points 65 restriction points 35
200 Angola66 restriction points 66 restriction points 34
200 Cameroon66 restriction points 66 restriction points 34
202 Congo67 restriction points 67 restriction points 33
202 Ethiopia67 restriction points 67 restriction points 33
204 Mali68 restriction points 68 restriction points 32
204 Niger68 restriction points 68 restriction points 32
206 Iraq69 restriction points 69 restriction points 31
207 Burundi70 restriction points 70 restriction points 30
208 Palestine71 restriction points 71 restriction points 29
209 Equatorial Guinea72 restriction points 72 restriction points 28
209 Haiti72 restriction points 72 restriction points 28
211 Western Sahara73 restriction points 73 restriction points 27
212 Lebanon74 restriction points 74 restriction points 26
213 Chad75 restriction points 75 restriction points 25
213 Congo DR75 restriction points 75 restriction points 25
215 Cuba88 restriction points 88 restriction points 12
216 Iran94 restriction points 94 restriction points 6
216 Myanmar94 restriction points 94 restriction points 6
218 Afghanistan100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Central African Republic100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Eritrea100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Korea DPR100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Libya100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Somalia100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 South Sudan100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Sudan100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Syria100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Turkmenistan100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Venezuela100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0
218 Yemen100 restriction points 100 restriction points 0

Last rating: June 22nd, 2026

How the Raw Value Is Calculated

The raw value is a 0-100 restriction value for employment restrictions affecting foreigners. 0 means very low structural restrictions; 100 means very heavy barriers such as quotas, labour-market tests, employer binding, closed professions or practically blocked procedures.

The calculation deliberately inverts access indicators: work rights for foreigners count for 22%, work-permit access 22%, labour-market flexibility 12%, economic freedom 10%, rule of law 10%, government efficiency 8%, border openness 6%, digital government 5%, and local registration 5%.

Sponsorship dependence, local-partner obligations, sector closures and strongly restrictive labour markets increase the raw value. Free-movement areas and especially open labour markets reduce it. Lower raw values are therefore better and lead to a higher rating.

Values are normalised to the current Nomadino country comparison: the lowest current restriction value becomes 0 and the highest becomes 100. The rating is calculated as 100 minus the raw value.

The indicator measures structural barriers. It does not rate whether an individual employer hires, whether a profession is on a shortage list, or whether personal qualification creates an exception.