Working Hours and Overtime in Laos

In Laos, 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.

Compliance requires you to define clear working schedules, track actual hours worked, and apply the correct overtime and rest rules in practice, not just on paper. You should regularly review employment contracts, internal policies, and timekeeping systems to ensure they reflect current legal standards and any sector-specific rules. Looking ahead to 2026, expect closer scrutiny from labor authorities on excessive hours, night work, and the treatment of vulnerable workers, along with potential updates to regulations to align more closely with regional and international labor standards.

• 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 Laos?

An employee whose age is 14 or younger has a maximum of 4 hours per day and 24 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 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 Laos

Under Lao labor law, the general limit for adult employees is 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. These limits apply to most private sector roles and are designed to protect employee health and safety while still allowing employers sufficient flexibility to organize shifts and production schedules. You should structure work so that employees do not regularly exceed these limits, except under clearly defined overtime arrangements.

For work that is particularly strenuous, hazardous, or harmful to health – such as certain industrial, mining, or chemical operations – the daily and weekly limits are typically reduced by regulation to protect workers. In practice, this often means capping work at 6 hours per day and 36 hours per week in high-risk environments. You should verify whether your operations fall into a special category and adjust rosters accordingly.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Manufacturing And Utilities
• Hospitality, Tourism, And Restaurants
• Transportation, Logistics, And Warehousing
• Healthcare And Emergency Services
• Agriculture And Seasonal Harvest Activities

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain trusted employees may have more flexible schedules, but they are not fully exempt from Lao working time protections. Even where employment contracts provide broad discretion over working hours, you should ensure that total hours remain reasonable, that rest periods are respected, and that overtime is compensated where required by law or company policy. Written job descriptions and contracts should clearly define expectations for availability, working time, and eligibility for overtime or allowances.

For genuinely high-level managerial staff who exercise significant autonomy over their schedules and decision-making, it is common to provide higher base salaries and benefits in lieu of strict hourly tracking. However, you should still monitor workloads to avoid excessive hours that could raise health and safety concerns or lead to disputes. Transparent internal policies on who is considered managerial or exempt, and how their time is managed, will help you demonstrate compliance if inspected.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Laos

Full-time employment in Laos is generally based on the statutory standard of 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week for adult employees. Most employers organize this as 6 working days of 8 hours, or 5 longer days with adjusted schedules, provided that the weekly total does not exceed 48 hours and daily limits and rest periods are respected. Any hours beyond these thresholds are treated as overtime and must follow the legal rules on consent, limits, and premium pay.

When designing full-time roles, you should clearly state the normal daily and weekly hours in the employment contract, along with the work schedule, rest breaks, and any shift or night work arrangements. This clarity helps avoid misunderstandings, supports accurate payroll calculations, and demonstrates that your company is aligning with statutory full-time standards in Laos.

Overtime Regulations In Laos

What Counts As Overtime In Laos?

In Laos, overtime is any working time performed beyond the normal daily or weekly limits set by law or by the employee’s contract, whichever is more favorable to the employee. For most adult workers, this means hours worked beyond 8 hours in a day or 48 hours in a week. Work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays is also generally treated as overtime and attracts higher premium rates.

Overtime should be requested by the employer and accepted by the employee, except in narrowly defined emergency situations such as accidents, urgent repairs, or force majeure that could endanger people, property, or essential services. You should obtain written or at least clearly documented consent for overtime, keep accurate time records, and ensure that overtime is not used as a routine substitute for proper staffing.

Maximum Overtime In Laos

Lao labor rules limit how much overtime you may require from employees to prevent excessive fatigue and health risks. As a general guideline, overtime should not exceed 3 hours per day and 45 hours per month, and total working time – regular hours plus overtime – should remain within safe and reasonable limits. You should also ensure that employees receive adequate daily and weekly rest even when overtime is performed.

In exceptional cases, such as urgent seasonal work, peak production, or emergencies, authorities may allow temporary deviations from standard overtime limits, often subject to notification or approval from the labor administration. However, these situations are the exception, not the rule. You should plan staffing and shift patterns so that your business can operate effectively without systematically relying on maximum overtime.

Overtime Payout Rates In Laos

Overtime in Laos must be compensated at premium rates above the employee’s normal hourly wage. While specific percentages can vary depending on the time and day worked, a common structure is at least 150 percent of the regular rate for overtime on normal working days, 200 percent for overtime performed at night, and 250 percent or more for work on weekly rest days or public holidays. Where collective agreements or company policies provide higher rates, the more favorable terms apply.

You should calculate overtime pay based on the employee’s basic wage plus any regular fixed allowances that form part of normal remuneration. Keep detailed records of hours worked, overtime approvals, and payments made, and reflect overtime clearly on payslips. Transparent calculations and timely payment of overtime are essential to maintaining compliance and avoiding disputes with employees or labor inspectors.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Laos

Employees in Laos typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and the law links rest periods and breaks directly to these standard working hours to protect health and safety. As an employer, you must schedule meal and rest breaks within the working day, ensure sufficient daily rest between shifts, and provide at least one weekly rest day so that total working time – including any overtime – does not undermine employee wellbeing or productivity.

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