Working Hours and Overtime in North Macedonia

In North Macedonia, 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.

As you plan workforce schedules for 2025 and beyond, you should expect closer scrutiny of working-time records, overtime practices, and rest-period compliance, particularly in sectors with shift work or seasonal peaks. By aligning internal policies with statutory rules, collective agreements, and anticipated EU-aligned reforms through 2026, you can reduce legal risk, avoid costly disputes, and support employee wellbeing and retention.

• 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 North Macedonia?

An employee whose age is 18 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 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 North Macedonia

Under North Macedonian labour law, the statutory full-time working week is 40 hours, usually spread over five working days. The normal daily schedule is 8 hours, and you should structure employment contracts and work schedules around this benchmark. Any work performed beyond the agreed full-time schedule – whether on a daily or weekly basis – must be carefully monitored, recorded, and, where applicable, treated as overtime. You must also ensure that working-time arrangements respect mandatory daily and weekly rest periods, as well as specific protections for night workers and vulnerable groups such as pregnant employees and minors.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Continuous Process Industries (e.g., Energy, Utilities, Manufacturing)
• Healthcare And Emergency Services
• Hospitality, Tourism, And Retail
• Transport, Logistics, And Public Transport
• Agriculture And Seasonal Work
• Security, Guarding, And Surveillance Services

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Managers and certain categories of high-level or autonomous employees may have more flexible working-time arrangements in North Macedonia. In practice, senior managers, directors, and key decision-makers often work beyond the standard 40-hour week without strict time tracking, provided their remuneration reflects this broader responsibility. However, you should not assume that all managers are automatically exempt from working-time protections. Daily and weekly rest, health and safety rules, and special protections for night work and hazardous work still apply. To reduce risk, clearly define managerial roles, expected working patterns, and any overtime or on-call expectations in employment contracts or internal policies, and ensure that workloads remain reasonable.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In North Macedonia

Statutory full-time work in North Macedonia is 40 hours per week, typically 8 hours per day over five days. You should treat this as the default for permanent employees unless a shorter working week is agreed in a collective agreement or individual contract. Part-time employees work fewer than 40 hours per week and must have their hours and entitlements – including proportional leave and benefits – clearly specified in writing. Any deviation from the standard schedule, such as compressed workweeks, shift work, or irregular hours, must still comply with the overall weekly limits, overtime rules, and mandatory rest periods.

Overtime Regulations In North Macedonia

What Counts As Overtime In North Macedonia?

Overtime in North Macedonia generally means any working time performed beyond the employee’s contracted full-time schedule, which is normally 40 hours per week or 8 hours per day. This includes work performed before or after the regular shift, work on weekly rest days, and work on public holidays when such days are not part of the normal schedule. Overtime must be ordered or at least explicitly approved by the employer – you should have a clear internal procedure for authorising and recording overtime to avoid disputes. Time spent on mandatory training, meetings, or being required to remain at the workplace and available for work will usually count as working time and may trigger overtime if it exceeds the standard limits.

Maximum Overtime In North Macedonia

North Macedonian law allows overtime only in exceptional or increased workload situations and sets strict limits. As a rule of thumb, employees may work up to 8 hours of overtime per week, subject to an overall cap of 190 hours of overtime per calendar year, unless a collective agreement provides a different – but still reasonable – limit. Daily working time, including overtime, should not normally exceed 10 hours, and you must still respect minimum daily and weekly rest periods. Certain categories of workers, such as pregnant employees, employees on parental leave, and minors, are either prohibited from overtime or subject to tighter restrictions. You should document the reasons for overtime, keep accurate records, and regularly review whether overtime is genuinely necessary.

Overtime Payout Rates In North Macedonia

Overtime work in North Macedonia must be compensated at a premium rate above the employee’s regular hourly wage. While specific percentages are often set by collective agreements or company policies, common practice is to pay at least 35 percent above the basic hourly rate for overtime on regular working days, with higher premiums – for example 50 percent or more – for overtime performed at night, on weekly rest days, or on public holidays. You should define overtime rates clearly in employment contracts or internal regulations, ensure that payroll systems correctly calculate the premium on the employee’s base salary, and provide transparent payslips that show overtime hours and corresponding pay. Where permitted and agreed in writing, some employers may offer time off in lieu at an equivalent or enhanced rate, but this must not undermine the employee’s right to proper rest and fair compensation.

Rest Periods And Breaks In North Macedonia

In North Macedonia, employees typically work 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and you must organise rest periods and breaks so that these standard hours do not compromise employee health and safety. This means providing a proper meal break during the working day, ensuring sufficient uninterrupted daily rest between shifts, and guaranteeing weekly rest days, with additional protections for minors and other vulnerable groups.

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