Employment Rights in Malta: Pay, Hours, Leave and Contracts

Employees in Malta are protected by national employment rules and, in some industries, a sector-specific Wage Regulation Order (WRO). Your contract can give you better conditions, but it cannot normally take away a statutory minimum.

This guide gives you the figures and checks you need before accepting a job or questioning a payslip. Tax deductions are covered separately in our Malta tax and social security guide.

Malta's minimum wage in 2026

The official national minimum wage is stated as a weekly wage for whole-time employees:

Employee's age	Minimum weekly wage	Approximate hourly rate for 40 hours
18 or older	€229.44	€5.74
17	€222.66	€5.57
Younger than 17	€219.82	€5.50

The hourly figures are the weekly rates divided by 40 and rounded to the nearest cent. Check the current amounts on the official DIER national minimum wage page.

These are national minimums, not a universal salary scale. A WRO may set a higher minimum wage, overtime rate, sick-leave entitlement or allowance for your sector. Employees may also be entitled to statutory bonuses, weekly allowances and the annual cost-of-living increase.

How to identify your Wage Regulation Order

Malta currently has 31 sectoral WROs. The employer's economic activity and the work covered by the Order, not merely your job title, determine whether one applies.

1. Ask the employer for its registered legal name, Jobsplus employer number, main economic activity and the exact WRO named in the contract/payroll setup.
2. Compare that activity with DIER's sectoral minimum conditions list. Common Orders cover hotels and clubs, construction, retail, private security, cleaning, food manufacture and transport activities.
3. Open the Order and match the worker category/grade, age, normal week and service length—not only the headline minimum.
4. Check basic wage, overtime/Sunday/public-holiday rates, sick leave, allowances and special leave together.
5. If the business or category is unclear, send DIER the employer name, activity, workplace, duties and contract before accepting the calculation. Keep its answer with the contract.

Example: a cleaner directly employed by a hotel may fall under a different Order from a cleaner supplied by a separate cleaning contractor. “Cleaner” alone does not resolve it.

Before accepting a low-paid job, ask:

• Which WRO, if any, covers the employer's economic activity?
• Is the quoted amount gross or net?
• Is it a weekly, monthly or hourly rate?
• Are allowances and bonuses included in the figure or paid separately?
• What rate applies to overtime, Sundays and public holidays?

Full-time, part-time or full-time with reduced hours?

The label on the contract matters because it affects how hours and entitlements are calculated.

Arrangement	What it normally means	Pay and leave
Full-time	The normal whole-time hours for a comparable role, usually 40 hours a week	Full applicable wage and entitlements
Part-time	Normal hours are lower than a comparable whole-time employee and the worker is not classed as whole-time with reduced hours	Same types of entitlement as a comparable full-timer, calculated pro rata
Full-time with reduced hours	An existing full-time basis is established, but employer and employee agree that fewer hours will be worked while social-security contributions remain payable	Wage and other entitlements are calculated pro rata

DIER treats part-time employment and full-time employment with reduced hours as distinct arrangements.

If an ordinary full-time role is 40 hours and you work 25 hours part time, a pro-rata entitlement is generally calculated as 25 / 40. For example, DIER uses 192 hours of annual leave for a 40-hour employee and 120 hours for a comparable 25-hour part-time employee.

Full-time with reduced hours does not automatically mean that the income is taxed using Malta's special 10% part-time rate. Income from that main employment normally goes through payroll under the ordinary tax system. The special part-time rate has separate eligibility conditions, explained in our tax guide.

What your employment contract should tell you

For employment lasting more than one month and exceeding eight hours a week, the employer should provide the contract or written statement no later than the seventh calendar day of work.

Use DIER's contract-of-service checklist and confirm that your written terms include:

• Employer's legal name and your place of work
• Job title and duties
• Start date and, for a fixed-term job, expected end date
• Probation period
• Normal wage, overtime rates and payment frequency
• Normal working hours and roster arrangements
• Vacation, sick and other leave
• Notice periods
• Applicable WRO or collective agreement

Do not rely on a verbal promise that contradicts the written salary, hours or job title. Ask for the correction before signing.

Hours, breaks and overtime

Normal full-time hours are usually 40 hours a week, although the applicable WRO can set different conditions. The general maximum is normally an average of 48 hours a week, including overtime, calculated over the relevant reference period.

As a basic check:

• A working day longer than six hours should include a break of at least 15 minutes.
• Workers should normally receive 11 consecutive hours of daily rest.
• Overtime rates may come from the relevant WRO.
• Where no WRO overtime rule applies, DIER states that work above 40 hours is paid at one-and-a-half times the normal rate, averaged over the applicable period.

Compare your roster with DIER's current guidance on normal hours, rest periods and overtime.

Leave: start with 192 hours, then adjust

A whole-time employee working 40 hours a week is entitled to at least 192 hours of paid annual leave. Additional leave is added when a national or public holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or the employee's weekly day of rest.

Part-time employees and full-time employees working reduced hours receive this entitlement pro rata. Employment for only part of a year is also calculated proportionately. Read the current DIER vacation-leave rules before calculating a balance.

Sick leave varies by sector. Where no WRO applies, DIER states that the minimum is two working weeks per year, calculated in hours. Check the official sick-leave guidance rather than assuming every workplace uses the same allowance.

Check every payslip

An employer must provide an itemised payslip before or on the date wages are due. It should show the pay period, normal and overtime hours, basic wage, bonuses or allowances, leave taken and remaining, and deductions including income tax and social-security contributions.

Use the official payslip requirements as a checklist. Compare the first payslip with your contract and check:

1. The gross wage and normal hours are correct.
2. Overtime, Sunday and public-holiday hours use the agreed rate.
3. Tax and social-security deductions are itemised.
4. Leave taken and the remaining balance make sense.
5. Bonuses, allowances and commissions are not missing.
6. Unexplained deductions have not been made.

Probation, notice and leaving a job

Probation depends on the contract and role. During probation, either party may generally terminate without giving a reason; once employment with the same employer exceeds one month, a one-week notice period applies during probation. Technical, executive, administrative or managerial employees earning at least twice the national minimum wage may have a longer statutory probation basis.

Outside probation, notice normally increases with continuous service. Fixed-term contracts have different early-termination consequences, so check DIER's probation guidance and termination rules before resigning or accepting a termination payment.

For an indefinite contract, the statutory notice table is:

Continuous service with the same employer	Notice
More than 1 month to 6 months	1 week
More than 6 months to 2 years	2 weeks
More than 2 years to 4 years	4 weeks
More than 4 years to 7 years	8 weeks
More than 7 years to 8 years	9 weeks
More than 8 years to 9 years	10 weeks
More than 9 years to 10 years	11 weeks
More than 10 years	12 weeks

During probation, service longer than one month normally gives one week's notice. Technical, administrative, executive or managerial roles may have a longer agreed notice. A fixed-term employee leaving after probation can face payment equal to half the wages for the unexpired term; get advice before treating the indefinite-contract table as applicable.

Worked examples: resigning after 18 months on an indefinite contract normally means two weeks' notice; after 5 years it means eight weeks. If an employer makes that 5-year employee redundant and does not allow the notice to be worked, the employer generally owes full wages for the unworked notice. The result differs when the employee chooses not to work notice after receiving it.

If your employer is not following the rules

1. Identify the exact pay period, hours, leave or contract term affected.
2. Save the contract, Jobsplus engagement record, rosters, timesheets, payslips, FS3, bank payments and relevant messages.
3. Calculate the amount or entitlement you believe is missing.
4. Ask the employer for an explanation or correction in writing.
5. If the issue is unresolved, read how to lodge a claim with DIER.
6. Obtain independent legal or union advice before signing a resignation, waiver or settlement you do not understand.

DIER can investigate alleged breaches. Personal claims for unpaid wages generally require the worker to attend with supporting documents. An unfair-dismissal complaint to the Industrial Tribunal normally has a four-month deadline, so do not delay if termination is involved.

Related practical guides

• Working in Malta: Jobs, Permits, Tax and Employment Basics
• Finding a Job in Malta: A Practical Guide for Newcomers
• Tax and Social Security in Malta: Rates, Part-Time Work and Payroll

Browse all Moving to Malta guides.

Last reviewed: 9 August 2026. Minimum wages, tax figures and sector rules can change; use the linked official pages when making a financial or legal decision.