Employment in Malta is governed by the Employment and Industrial Relations Act. The statutory floor is set nationally, applies to everyone, and is enforced.
Above that floor, conditions vary a great deal by sector, and some industries here pay well below what the same job pays elsewhere in Europe.
What a Maltese job looks like
Your contract has to be in writing
You are entitled to written terms. The statutory minimums on leave, notice and hours apply whatever the contract says.
Read what it says about probation and notice, because those are where the differences between employers show up.
Tax on your salary
Sector decides everything
Gaming, finance, aviation and tech pay competitively and recruit internationally. Hospitality and retail pay considerably less and rely on seasonal labour.
Research the sector rate rather than the national average, because the gap between them is wide.
Work permits
Tax and NI come off at source
Income tax is deducted under the FSS system and national insurance is a separate line. Both appear before you see anything.
The tax bands depend on your marital and parental status, which is unusual and worth checking against your own situation.
The tax bands
The national minimum wage
Full-time weekly rates for 2026
- Aged 18 and over
- €229.44 per week
- Aged 17
- €222.66 per week
- Under 17
- €219.82 per week
The rate is reviewed annually. Note that it is expressed weekly rather than hourly or monthly, which is how Maltese pay is generally discussed.
Leave
An employee on a 40-hour week is entitled to paid annual leave of four weeks and 32 hours, which is 192 hours. Part-time employees and those on reduced hours get the same on a pro rata basis. Someone employed for less than a full year gets a proportionate amount.
On top of that, hours are added in lieu where a public holiday falls on a weekend. In 2026 three do (7 June, 15 August and 13 December), which adds 24 hours and brings the total to 216 hours, or 27 days for someone working a standard eight-hour day. Because it depends on the calendar, the total moves year to year.
A minimum of 160 hours has to be taken as actual leave. It cannot be replaced with a payment, except where employment ends. An employer offering to pay you instead of letting you take it is not permitted to do that.
The statutory bonuses
Separate from salary, Maltese employees receive statutory bonus and weekly allowance payments spread across four instalments through the year. These are set nationally rather than by the employer, so they appear on every payslip. They often cause confusion when comparing a Maltese offer with one from another country.
What comes off a payslip
Income tax under the computation that applies to you, and social security contributions, which are separate and fund pensions, sickness and unemployment cover. Both employer and employee contribute for employed people. The tax side is covered under money and tax.
An employer is obliged to give you a payslip. If you are not receiving one, that is itself a breach rather than an administrative oversight.
Finding work
Jobsplus is the national employment agency and the body an employer engages with when hiring, particularly where a work permit is involved. Registration with Jobsplus is part of the process for third-country nationals, and the employer usually drives it. The routes and their order are covered under moving to Malta.
The single permit links the right to work to a specific job. Changing employer is not simply a matter of resigning, and leaving without the next permit in place can put your residence at risk. Understand that before accepting or leaving a role.
Wages, leave, hours and conditions are published by the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations, which also handles complaints about an employer. Rates are revised annually, so check the year.