According to Labor Proclamation No. 1156/2019, art. 176, and Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs Revised Directives on the Issuance of Work Permits for Expatriates in Ethiopia, Art. 4(1), a foreign national may be in a position to engage in wage-earning employment on condition that he or she has a valid work permit. Specifically, as per article 16 (2) of the Directive to Determine the Procedure for Refugees Right to Work, Directive No. 02/2019, a recognized refugee or asylum seeker may engage in wage earning employment upon obtaining a work permit from the competent government body. 

However, there are some exceptions where work permits may not be required to engage in wage earning employment. The requirement of work permit for foreigners in Ethiopia does not apply to limited categories of foreigners in Ethiopia. Foreigner Nationals of Ethiopian Origin (FNEO), as per article 5(2) of the Proclamation Providing Foreign Nationals of Ethiopian Origin with Certain Rights to be exercised in their Country of Origin Proclamation. 270/2002 (FNEO Proclamation), have the right to be employed in Ethiopia without work permit. Also, refugees that are selected to be employed in in rural and urban projects jointly designed by the Ethiopian Government and the international community to benefit refugees and Ethiopian nationals, as per article 7 of the of the Directive to Determine the Procedure for Refugees Right to Work, are allowed to work by obtaining a residence permit, without a need a need for a work permit. Also, in line with article 16 (3) of the same Directive, a refugee or asylum seeker who is married to an Ethiopia national or has one or more child in possession of Ethiopia nationality may be employed without having work permit.

Even if the Directive to Determine the Procedure for Refugees’ Right to Work envisaged a closed or employer-specific work permit, it has eased some of the requirements imposed upon refugees in view of their unique circumstances. The application for work permit requested by an employer on behalf of a refugee or an asylum seeker, as per article 18 (3) (a) of the Directive, must be accompanied with renewed identification paper issued by the Refugees and Returnees Services (RRS) to the refugee or asylum seeker in lieu of a passport and a letter of support from RRS. In line with article 18 (3) (b) of the Directive, the recognized refugee or asylum seeker shall not be required to provide any visa or residence permit. However,  as per article 18 (4) of the Directive, the employer is required to notify ARRA any communications made to Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs regarding a refugee or asylum seeker it has employed.