Working Hours and Overtime in Mauritius

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Mauritius?

An employee whose age is 18 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 35 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 45 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 9:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Mauritius

Under the Workers’ Rights Act, the standard limit for most employees is 45 hours per week, usually spread over 5 or 6 days. Daily hours are commonly set at 8 to 9 hours, depending on the work schedule and whether Saturday is a working day. You must clearly define the normal working schedule in the employment contract or work rules.

Any work beyond the agreed normal hours counts toward the weekly 45-hour ceiling and then becomes overtime once that ceiling is exceeded. Collective agreements or Remuneration Orders in specific sectors may set lower weekly limits or different daily spreads, which you must follow if they apply to your business. You are required to keep accurate time records to demonstrate compliance with these limits.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. These rules are often set out in sectoral Remuneration Orders that can adjust daily spreads, shift patterns, and how the 45-hour week is organized. You must always check the applicable Remuneration Order before designing rosters.

In practice, healthcare and hospitality operations may run on 24/7 schedules with split shifts or compressed workweeks, while transport and security services often rely on rotating shifts. These arrangements are lawful as long as the average weekly hours and mandatory rest periods are respected over the reference period specified in the law or the relevant Remuneration Order. Written rosters should be communicated in advance to employees.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. You should also monitor fatigue risks and adjust staffing levels where long shifts are used. Failure to do so can expose you to health and safety liabilities.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial and executive employees in Mauritius may be excluded from some working-time and overtime provisions, particularly where they have genuine autonomy over their hours and higher levels of remuneration. However, you cannot simply label an employee as “managerial” to avoid compliance; their actual duties and decision-making authority must justify the exemption. Employment contracts should clearly state whether the role is covered by overtime rules or not.

Even where an exemption applies, you still owe a duty of care to prevent excessive working hours that could endanger health and safety. Many employers choose to provide time off in lieu or higher base salaries to reflect the expectation of longer hours for senior staff. Transparent policies on availability, after-hours work, and rest are essential to avoid disputes.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Mauritius

In Mauritius, full-time employment is generally based on a 45-hour working week for adults, as set out in the Workers’ Rights Act and sectoral Remuneration Orders. These 45 hours are typically distributed over 5 or 6 days, with a standard workday of 8 to 9 hours excluding meal breaks. Any arrangement that significantly departs from this pattern should be documented and agreed in writing.

Part-time employees work fewer than 45 hours per week, and their pay and benefits are usually pro-rated according to hours worked. Flexible arrangements such as staggered hours, compressed weeks, or shift work are permitted as long as the weekly limit and rest requirements are respected. You should ensure that any variable schedule is predictable enough for employees to plan their personal commitments.

Overtime Regulations In Mauritius

As an employer in Mauritius, you must monitor and record all hours worked beyond the normal 45-hour workweek and ensure that overtime is both authorized and correctly compensated. Accurate timekeeping systems, such as electronic time clocks or signed timesheets, are essential to demonstrate compliance in the event of an inspection or dispute. Non-compliance with overtime rules can lead to back-pay orders, penalties, and reputational damage.

What Counts As Overtime In Mauritius?

For most employees, overtime is any time worked beyond the normal hours specified in the contract, once the 45-hour weekly limit has been reached. Work performed before the normal start time, after the normal finishing time, or during scheduled breaks can all count as overtime if it is requested or accepted by you. You should have a clear policy that overtime must be pre-approved by a supervisor.

Work performed on a weekly rest day, typically Sunday, or on a public holiday is also treated as overtime and attracts higher statutory rates. In many sectors, the first 8 hours on a rest day or public holiday are paid at 1.5x, and hours beyond that at 2x, unless a specific Remuneration Order prescribes different rates. These rules apply even if the employee has not yet reached 45 hours in that particular week.

Maximum Overtime In Mauritius

Under the Workers’ Rights Act, overtime is generally capped at 10 hours per week, meaning that total working time should not normally exceed 55 hours in any week for an adult employee. Certain sectors or Remuneration Orders may set lower caps, and you must always apply the more protective limit if there is a conflict. You should design rosters so that employees do not routinely approach the weekly cap.

In exceptional circumstances, such as emergencies or peak seasonal demand, the law allows overtime to exceed the usual cap with the employee’s consent and, where required, prior approval from the Ministry of Labour. In practice, this means you should treat 10 hours per week as the standard ceiling and only go beyond it for short, justified periods. Keeping written records of the reasons for any excess overtime is strongly recommended.

Overtime Payout Rates In Mauritius

For most employees in Mauritius, standard overtime worked on a normal working day is paid at a minimum of 1.5x (150%) of the employee’s basic hourly rate. When overtime on a normal day exceeds 8 hours in a single day, many sectoral Remuneration Orders require you to pay 2x (200%) of the basic hourly rate for those additional hours. You should always check the applicable Remuneration Order to confirm the exact thresholds and rates for your sector.

Work performed on a weekly rest day or public holiday is typically paid at a minimum of 2x (200%) of the basic hourly rate for all hours worked, although some sectors provide 1.5x for the first 8 hours and 2x thereafter. If you grant a substitute rest day instead of paying a premium, this must be clearly agreed and still respect the minimum statutory pay multipliers. All overtime payments should be itemized separately on the employee’s payslip to ensure transparency.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Mauritius

In Mauritius, employees typically work up to 8 to 9 hours per day and 45 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect their health within this framework. The law requires meal breaks and daily and weekly rest so that employees are not working continuously throughout the day or week. As an employer, you must schedule these breaks in a way that fits your operational needs while still complying with statutory minimums.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, which is usually unpaid unless a sectoral Remuneration Order states otherwise.
• Daily Rest: Employees are generally entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest between the end of one workday and the start of the next, and you should avoid split shifts that undermine this rest.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least one full day of rest per week, typically Sunday, and if operational needs require Sunday work you must provide a substitute rest day and applicable premium pay.
• Minors: Workers under 18 are subject to stricter limits on daily hours and must receive more frequent breaks, and they are generally prohibited from night work that would cut into their normal rest periods.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for organizing schedules so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, and labour inspectors may review your rosters and time records to verify compliance.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Mauritius

Night and weekend work are legal in Mauritius but they come with additional responsibilities for employers and specific protections for employees. You must ensure that staffing levels, rest periods, and pay structures for these shifts comply with the Workers’ Rights Act and any applicable Remuneration Orders. Proper planning and documentation are essential to avoid fatigue-related risks and legal disputes.

Night work in Mauritius is generally understood as work performed between 18:00 and 06:00, with some sectoral instruments defining a core night period such as 22:00 to 05:00 for premium purposes. These rules apply across many roles, including manufacturing, security, hospitality, and healthcare, whenever employees are scheduled during the designated night window. You should clearly specify in contracts or policies when a shift is classified as night work.

• Premium Pay: There is no universal statutory night work premium in Mauritius, but in many sectors night hours attract at least 1.15x to 1.25x (115%–125%) of the basic hourly rate under Remuneration Orders, and you should not pay less than the applicable sectoral minimum.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should be offered periodic health assessments, particularly where work is physically demanding or safety-critical, and you should adjust duties or schedules if medical advice indicates that night work is unsuitable.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work, and pregnant workers should not be required to work night shifts where medical advice or risk assessments indicate potential harm to the mother or child.

Weekend work, especially on Sunday as the usual weekly rest day, is permitted but must be justified by operational needs and compensated at premium rates, commonly 1.5x to 2x of the basic hourly rate depending on the sector and whether Sunday is the designated rest day. If employees work on their weekly rest day, you must grant a substitute rest day within the same week or reference period in addition to paying the required premium. Clear rostering and written consent for regular Sunday work help demonstrate compliance.