Jobs in Georgia: How to Find Work and What It Pays

The average salary in Georgia is 2,389 lari a month before tax, but the latest figures show that half of all employees earn less than 1,332 lari. IT, finance and construction pay best; education and restaurants pay least. If you don't speak Georgian, your best chances are in IT, tourism and call centers run by foreign companies.

Behind the headline figure, pay varies widely by industry and job, and tax takes a sizeable bite. For anyone planning a move, it matters just as much where vacancies are posted, which sectors hire foreigners, what changed with the work permit introduced on 1 March 2026 and what rights an employment contract gives you.

Average salary in Georgia

According to Geostat, the average gross monthly salary in the second quarter of 2026 was 2,389 lari, up 8% on a year earlier. At the National Bank rate on 1 October, that's about 917 dollars.

Tbilisi averages 2,759 lari and Adjara, the region around Batumi, 2,083 lari. Men earn 2,856 lari on average and women 1,927 lari, almost a third less.

The average is pulled up by high salaries in IT and finance. The median, the point where half of workers earn more and half earn less, was 1,332 lari in 2024, against an average of 1,971 lari that year. Geostat hasn't published a newer figure yet.

Geostat counts only official salaries reported by employers, so cash-in-hand pay doesn't show up in the statistics.

Salaries by industry

Average gross monthly salary, second quarter of 2026:

Georgia effectively has no minimum wage. On paper it's 20 lari a month, a figure set by decree in 1999 and never updated since. The one exception is an hourly minimum for doctors and nurses at hospitals working under the state healthcare program.

Pay by job

There are no official salary statistics by occupation, so we collected pay rates from vacancies posted on jobs.ge, headhunter.ge and Telegram channels in late September 2026. Fewer than half of job ads state a salary, and those that do usually quote the net figure.

Russian-language Telegram channels love to advertise "earnings from 1,200 dollars". That usually means a fixed 550-800 dollars with the rest paid as performance bonuses, so before you go to an interview, ask how much of the salary is actually guaranteed.

What you take home

Georgia's income tax is a flat 20%, withheld by the employer. Georgian citizens and permanent residence permit holders also pay 2% into the funded pension scheme, and the employer adds the same amount on top. Foreigners on a temporary residence permit, or with no permit at all, stay outside the pension scheme.

Tax is calculated on the salary minus the pension contribution. For a gross salary of 3,000 lari:

• with the pension contribution: 60 lari to the pension fund, 588 lari in tax, 2,352 lari take-home;
• without it: 600 lari in tax, 2,400 lari take-home.

On the average salary of 2,389 lari, a pension scheme member takes home about 1,873 lari, roughly 720 dollars. For comparison, the cost of living in Georgia for one person in Tbilisi runs to 900-1,400 dollars a month, so a single average salary barely covers life in the capital.

Pay for work physically done in Georgia is taxed in Georgia, even if your employer is abroad and the money lands in a foreign account. Keep an eye on the calendar too: tax residency in Georgia kicks in after 183 days in the country within 12 months.

Where to look for work

The main job sites:

Many service, sales and call center jobs are posted on Telegram. The largest Russian-language channels are "Работа в Тбилиси" (Jobs in Tbilisi, about 34,000 subscribers) and "Работа в Батуми" (Jobs in Batumi, about 29,500), plus the "ВАКАНСИИ Грузия" group chat with 24,000 members.

In small businesses and restaurants, connections count for a lot, so let neighbors, colleagues and local chat groups know you're looking. IT and international companies hire the usual way: a CV, an HR interview and a test assignment.

Working without Georgian

Neither private employers nor the work permit rules require Georgian, but most local vacancies on jobs.ge do. If you don't speak it, focus on these sectors:

• IT. International companies such as EPAM and Andersen hire and relocate staff to Tbilisi and Batumi; the working language is English, often Russian too.
• Tourism in Batumi. Hotels and restaurants hire for the season, and ads usually ask for Russian and English.
• Call centers and support. Teams serving foreign companies look for staff who speak Russian, English and other languages.
• Real estate sales. Batumi agencies hire managers to work with foreign buyers, paid on commission.
• Teaching. Private and international schools and language centers.

Civil service jobs are open only to citizens who speak Georgian. Speaking the language multiplies your options, and most people learning Georgian in Georgia reach everyday A2 level in 6-9 months.

Work permit

Since 1 March 2026, almost every foreigner without permanent residence has needed a work permit. First, the employer advertises the vacancy on the state portal worknet.moh.gov.ge for at least 10 working days to check whether a suitable Georgian citizen is available.

The application then goes in and is reviewed within 30 calendar days. The permit is tied to a specific employer and position, so changing jobs means starting over. Working without a permit carries a fine of 2,000 lari.

In practice, it takes 1.5-2 months to get from a job offer to legally starting work, which is why more and more ads say "citizens only" or "work permit required". The main exemptions under the rules for a work permit in Georgia are holders of permanent and investment residence permits, refugees, diplomats and accredited journalists.

Most lawyers agree that an employee on a foreign company's payroll doing remote work from Georgia doesn't need a permit. Freelancers and sole traders with foreign clients should assume they do.

Employment contract and your rights

Key rules under Georgia's Labour Code:

• A written contract is required for any job lasting more than 1 month.
• Probation can last up to 6 months, can be set only once and must be agreed in writing. During probation, the employer can end the contract on any day without notice or severance pay unless the contract says otherwise, but must pay for the time you have worked.
• The standard working week is 40 hours. Overtime is allowed only by agreement and at a higher rate, which the two sides set themselves. Work on public holidays in Georgia also counts as overtime.
• Paid annual leave is at least 24 working days, and unpaid leave at least 15 days a year.
• Salary must be paid at least once a month; in practice, many employers pay twice.
• An employer can dismiss you only on the grounds listed in the law. For example, when dismissing for economic reasons, the employer gives 30 days' notice and pays severance of at least one month's salary, or gives 3 days' notice and pays at least two. There is no severance for dismissal over a serious or repeated breach of duty.
• You can resign by giving 30 days' written notice.

Working without a contract

According to Geostat, 28.3% of people employed outside agriculture worked informally in 2025, most often in construction, retail and small cafés.

Working off the books costs a foreigner more than it costs a local. Without a contract you have no proof of income for a bank or for an application for a residence permit in Georgia, no guaranteed leave or severance, and if you have no work permit either, a 2,000 lari fine. Steer clear of ads offering unpaid "trial shifts" or pay "to be agreed".

Key takeaways

• The average salary is 2,389 lari before tax, 2,759 in Tbilisi, and half of workers earn less than 1,332 (2024 figure).
• IT (4,400 lari) and finance pay best; education pays least.
• Income tax is 20%, plus 2% to the pension fund for citizens and permanent residents: 3,000 lari gross leaves 2,352 or 2,400 take-home.
• Look for jobs on jobs.ge, hr.ge, myjobs.ge, headhunter.ge, LinkedIn and Telegram.
• Without Georgian, IT, tourism, call centers and real estate sales are your best bets.
• Since 1 March 2026, foreigners without permanent residence have needed a work permit, which takes 1.5-2 months to arrange.