Working Hours and Overtime in Fiji

In Fiji, your company must comply with working hour and overtime laws – including daily limits, overtime thresholds, and rest requirements – to stay compliant and build a strong employee experience.

Looking ahead to 2026, regulators in Fiji are expected to continue focusing on accurate timekeeping, fair overtime compensation, and protection of vulnerable workers, including young employees and those in high-risk sectors. You should regularly review employment contracts, rosters, and payroll practices to ensure they reflect current legal standards, and be prepared for potential updates to sector-specific rules, night work protections, and enforcement mechanisms.

• Standard Working Hours
• Overtime Thresholds
• Overtime Pay Rates
• Daily And Weekly Rest Requirements
• Night Work Restrictions
• Penalties For Non-Compliance

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Fiji?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 30 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 5 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Fiji

Under Fiji’s employment legislation, the standard limit for adult employees is generally 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, excluding overtime. You should structure work schedules so that ordinary hours do not routinely exceed these limits, except where a lawful overtime arrangement or an approved shift pattern applies. Any time worked beyond the agreed ordinary hours in an employment contract – or beyond the statutory daily or weekly cap – should be treated as overtime and compensated accordingly.

When designing rosters, ensure that employees receive appropriate daily and weekly rest, and that split shifts or irregular patterns do not result in employees effectively working more than the legal maximum. Keep accurate time and attendance records – including start and finish times and breaks – so you can demonstrate compliance if inspected by authorities or challenged by employees.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Hospitality And Tourism Operations
• Transport, Shipping, And Aviation
• Agriculture, Forestry, And Fisheries
• Healthcare And Emergency Services
• Security And Guarding Services

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial and executive employees in Fiji often have broader flexibility in their working hours, and their remuneration may be structured to reflect responsibility rather than strict hourly limits. However, you should not assume that all managers are automatically exempt from working time protections. Where a manager’s hours are clearly defined and recorded, and where they are not genuinely determining their own schedule, it is prudent to apply ordinary working hour and overtime rules or provide equivalent compensatory benefits.

To reduce risk, clearly describe in employment contracts whether a role is managerial or supervisory, how hours will be managed, and whether the salary is intended to compensate for reasonable additional hours. Even for exempt employees, you remain responsible for protecting health and safety – including avoiding excessive hours, ensuring adequate rest, and monitoring workloads to prevent fatigue.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Fiji

In Fiji, full-time employment is typically based on a 48-hour workweek for adults, usually spread over 5 or 6 days, depending on the sector and the employment agreement. Many employers adopt a more standard commercial pattern of around 40 to 45 hours per week to remain competitive and support work–life balance, but you should always ensure that the contractual hours do not exceed statutory limits unless overtime rules are correctly applied.

When hiring full-time staff, specify in the contract the normal daily and weekly hours, the days of work, and how any additional hours will be treated. Align your internal policies – including attendance, flexible work, and leave – with these stated hours so that employees clearly understand expectations and you can consistently demonstrate compliance with Fiji’s working time framework.

Overtime Regulations In Fiji

What Counts As Overtime In Fiji?

In Fiji, overtime generally refers to any time an employee works beyond their agreed ordinary hours or beyond the statutory limits of 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week for adult workers. You should define ordinary hours in each employment contract and in your internal policies, making it clear when overtime begins – for example, after 8 hours in a day, after 48 hours in a week, or when work is performed on a rest day or public holiday.

Overtime can arise from extended shifts, additional days worked, or work performed outside the normal spread of hours, such as late-night or early-morning work. To remain compliant, obtain prior approval for overtime where possible, document the reason for the additional hours, and ensure that employees’ consent is recorded, especially when overtime is substantial or recurring.

Maximum Overtime In Fiji

While Fiji’s law allows overtime to meet business needs, you should avoid scheduling excessive overtime that undermines health and safety or effectively circumvents the standard working hour limits. As a best practice, keep total hours – ordinary plus overtime – within a reasonable ceiling, such as no more than 60 hours per week, and ensure that employees still receive their daily and weekly rest entitlements.

Where your operations require regular overtime – for example, in seasonal industries or during peak tourism periods – implement a clear overtime policy that sets internal caps, requires managerial approval, and provides for rotation of overtime opportunities among staff. This helps prevent fatigue, reduces the risk of accidents, and demonstrates that you are actively managing working time rather than allowing uncontrolled overwork.

Overtime Payout Rates In Fiji

Overtime in Fiji is typically paid at a premium rate above the employee’s normal hourly wage. Common practice is to pay at least 1.5 times the ordinary hourly rate for overtime worked on normal working days, and a higher rate – often double time – for work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays, subject to the specific provisions of the Employment Relations Act, any applicable wages regulations, and collective agreements.

To calculate overtime pay, determine the employee’s ordinary hourly rate from their base salary, identify the number of overtime hours worked in the relevant pay period, and apply the correct multiplier for each category of overtime. Clearly itemise overtime hours and rates on payslips so employees can verify their entitlements. Where you provide time off in lieu instead of cash payment, ensure that this is permitted by law, agreed in writing with the employee, and scheduled within a reasonable timeframe.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Fiji

Employees in Fiji typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to protect their health and safety within these limits. As an employer, you must ensure that workers who approach the daily or weekly maximums receive appropriate meal breaks, daily rest between shifts, and weekly rest days so that total working time remains sustainable and compliant with Fiji’s employment laws.

• Meal Break Requirements
• Daily Rest
• Weekly Rest
• Minors
• Employer Duties