Working Hours and Overtime in Madagascar

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Madagascar?

An employee whose age is 17 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 40 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 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 08:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Madagascar

Under Malagasy labour law, the normal legal working time is 40 hours per week for full-time employees, usually spread over five or six days. Daily working time is commonly limited to 8 hours, and any hours beyond this threshold in a day or beyond 40 hours in a week are treated as overtime. Employers must structure schedules so that employees do not routinely exceed these limits without proper overtime authorization.

Collective agreements or company-level policies may organize working time differently, such as compressed weeks or rotating shifts, provided the average does not exceed 40 hours per week over the agreed reference period. Any flexibility arrangements must be clearly documented in employment contracts or internal regulations and communicated to employees in advance. Employers are responsible for maintaining accurate time records to demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules that allow for irregular or extended shifts. In these sectors, the law and collective agreements may authorize longer daily spans of work, provided that compensatory rest and overtime premiums are correctly applied. You must still ensure that health and safety standards are not compromised by excessive fatigue.

• 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. Employers should monitor rosters so that the average working time does not exceed 40 hours per week when calculated over the applicable cycle. Where peaks are unavoidable, you must plan for compensatory rest and overtime pay in line with statutory and collective rules.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

In Madagascar, certain senior managerial staff and employees with broad autonomy over their schedule may be treated differently for working-time control, but they are not completely outside the scope of labour protection. Their contracts often provide for a flat salary that implicitly covers a reasonable amount of additional hours beyond the standard 40-hour week. However, you should avoid imposing excessive workloads that could be considered abusive or contrary to health and safety obligations.

Where managers are excluded from hourly overtime tracking, this must be clearly stated in the employment contract and justified by the nature of their responsibilities. Employers should still define reference working hours and ensure that rest periods and weekly days off are respected. Disputes over excessive hours can lead courts to requalify arrangements and award back pay or damages.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Madagascar

Statutory full-time work in Madagascar is generally defined as 40 hours per week for employees aged 18 and over. This is typically organized as five 8-hour days or six shorter days, depending on the sector and collective agreement. Any reduction or increase from this benchmark should be expressly agreed in writing.

Part-time arrangements involve a contractual working time below 40 hours per week, with pro-rated pay and benefits. Employers may also use variable or split schedules, but they must still respect daily and weekly rest rules and pay overtime once the employee exceeds the contractual or legal thresholds. Clear documentation of the agreed working time is essential to avoid later disputes.

Overtime Regulations In Madagascar

Overtime in Madagascar must be strictly controlled, documented, and compensated according to statutory rules and any applicable collective agreements. Employers are required to keep reliable records of hours worked, including all overtime, night work, and work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays. Failure to do so can result in back-pay claims, administrative fines, and potential criminal liability for serious or repeated violations.

What Counts As Overtime In Madagascar?

Overtime in Madagascar is generally any working time performed beyond the normal 40-hour workweek or beyond the standard daily schedule set in the contract or internal rules. Hours worked beyond 8 hours in a day or beyond the contractual daily limit are typically treated as overtime and must be compensated at the applicable premium rate. Work performed on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is also considered overtime and attracts higher statutory premiums.

Employers should obtain prior authorization for overtime, either individually or through standing procedures, and must not rely on informal or unrecorded extra hours. If employees are required to remain available or on call, you must distinguish between active working time and passive on-call time for overtime calculation. Clear policies on overtime approval and compensation help reduce disputes and support compliance during inspections.

Maximum Overtime In Madagascar

Under Malagasy law, overtime is numerically capped to protect employee health and safety. As a general rule, overtime may not exceed 20 hours per week, meaning the absolute weekly total should not surpass 60 hours including normal time. Over a year, the typical ceiling is 180 hours of overtime per employee, unless a collective agreement or administrative authorization allows an increase.

Where justified by exceptional workload or seasonal peaks, the annual overtime limit can be raised up to 220 hours with prior approval from the labour inspectorate or through a sectoral agreement. Employers must monitor cumulative overtime for each employee and adjust staffing or shift patterns before these thresholds are reached. Exceeding the numerical caps without authorization exposes you to fines, orders to reduce hours, and potential damages to affected employees.

Overtime Payout Rates In Madagascar

Overtime in Madagascar is subject to statutory premium rates calculated on the employee’s normal hourly wage. For the first tranche of overtime, typically up to 8 hours per week beyond 40 hours, the minimum premium is 30%, meaning you must pay at least 130% (1.3x) of the base hourly rate. Beyond this initial tranche, overtime must be paid at a minimum of 50%, or 150% (1.5x) of the base hourly rate.

Work performed on Sundays or the weekly rest day is generally compensated at 100% premium, so employees receive at least 200% (2.0x) of their normal hourly wage for those hours. Work on public holidays is also commonly paid at 100% premium, resulting in 200% (2.0x) of the base rate, unless a more favourable collective agreement applies. Employers may always grant higher rates than these statutory minima, but never lower.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Madagascar

In Madagascar, employees typically work 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to ensure that this working time does not compromise health and safety. Daily and weekly rest rules, together with meal breaks, structure the working day so that employees have sufficient time away from work. As an employer, you must integrate these breaks into schedules and ensure they are actually taken, not just theoretically granted.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive at least a 60-minute unpaid meal break under Malagasy practice and collective rules. This break should be scheduled roughly in the middle of the workday to allow proper rest and access to food.
• Daily Rest: Workers are entitled to a minimum uninterrupted daily rest period of 11 hours between the end of one workday and the start of the next. Employers must design shifts so that travel time or on-call duties do not effectively erode this 11-hour rest.
• Weekly Rest: Malagasy law provides for at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, in addition to daily rest. If business needs require Sunday work, you must grant a substitute rest day of equivalent length during the same week.
• Minors: Employees under 18 benefit from stricter rest protections, including shorter maximum daily hours and longer rest intervals. You should avoid scheduling minors for evening or split shifts that would reduce their continuous rest below legal standards.
• Employer Duty: Employers are responsible for organizing work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are respected in practice, not just on paper. Labour inspectors in Madagascar may review schedules and time records to verify that rest rules are being followed.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Madagascar

Night and weekend work are legal in Madagascar but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay attention to specific rules on scheduling, premiums, and health and safety when assigning staff to these periods. Failure to do so can lead to claims for unpaid premiums, reorganization orders, and potential sanctions from labour authorities.

Night work in Madagascar is generally defined as work performed between 21:00 and 05:00, although some collective agreements may adjust this window slightly. Employees who regularly work during this period are considered night workers and benefit from special protections, including limits on consecutive night shifts and enhanced monitoring of working conditions. These rules apply across most roles, except where specific sectoral regulations provide stricter standards.

• Premium Pay: Night work in Madagascar is typically compensated with a minimum premium of 30%, meaning night hours are paid at least 130% (1.3x) of the employee’s normal hourly wage. Some collective agreements in sectors such as security or manufacturing may grant higher premiums of 40% to 50% for night shifts.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should receive periodic health assessments to identify fatigue, sleep disorders, or other risks associated with night work. Employers are expected to adapt schedules or reassign employees if medical evaluations show that continued night work would endanger their health.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work, with only narrow exceptions for certain supervised activities. Pregnant workers should not be required to perform night shifts, and if they request reassignment, you must explore suitable day-time alternatives or adjust duties in line with medical advice.

Weekend work, particularly on Sundays, is regulated as it usually coincides with the statutory weekly rest day in Madagascar. If employees are required to work on Sunday, you must provide a substitute rest period of at least 24 consecutive hours on another day of the week and pay a premium that commonly reaches 100%, resulting in 200% (2.0x) of the normal hourly wage for those hours.