Working Hours and Overtime in Saint Lucia

In Saint Lucia, 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 are expected to continue focusing on accurate timekeeping, fair overtime compensation, and adequate rest for employees, particularly in sectors with shift work or extended hours. You should review contracts, policies, and scheduling practices to ensure they reflect current legal standards, and be prepared for potential updates that may tighten record-keeping obligations, clarify night work protections, and increase penalties for repeated non-compliance.

• 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 Saint Lucia?

An employee whose age is 16 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 40 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 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Saint Lucia

In Saint Lucia, employers should generally organize work on the basis of a standard 8-hour day and a 40-hour week for adult employees, excluding meal breaks. Hours worked beyond these limits, or outside the employee’s normal work schedule, are typically treated as overtime and must be compensated at enhanced rates under the employment contract, collective agreement, or applicable legislation. You should clearly define normal working hours in each employee’s contract, including start and end times, shift patterns, and how work on weekends or public holidays is handled.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

• Hospitality And Tourism Operations
• Security And Guarding Services
• Healthcare And Emergency Services
• Transportation And Port Services
• Retail And Supermarkets

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managers and certain professional or supervisory staff in Saint Lucia may have more flexible schedules and may not be subject to the same strict daily scheduling rules as hourly workers. However, you should not assume that all managers are automatically exempt from overtime. Where managers are paid a salary intended to cover reasonable additional hours, this should be expressly stated in the contract, together with a clear description of their managerial or professional responsibilities. To reduce risk, document expected working hours, any inclusive overtime arrangement, and ensure that workloads remain reasonable so that working time does not become excessive or unsafe.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Saint Lucia

Full-time employment in Saint Lucia is commonly based on a 40-hour workweek, usually spread over five 8-hour days. Some sectors may operate on a 6-day schedule with shorter daily hours, provided the total weekly hours remain within legal and contractual limits. When designing work schedules, you should ensure that full-time hours, overtime arrangements, and rest periods are consistent with national labour standards, collective agreements, and any sector-specific rules that apply to your business.

Overtime Regulations In Saint Lucia

What Counts As Overtime In Saint Lucia?

Overtime in Saint Lucia generally refers to any time worked in excess of the employee’s normal daily or weekly hours as set out in the employment contract or applicable labour laws. For most full-time employees, this means hours beyond 8 per day or 40 per week, or work performed on rest days and public holidays when such days are not part of the regular schedule. You should define overtime triggers in writing, specify how overtime is requested and approved, and keep accurate records of all additional hours worked.

Maximum Overtime In Saint Lucia

While employers may require employees to work overtime to meet operational needs, overtime should not be excessive and must respect health and safety considerations. As a best practice, you should avoid scheduling more than 4 hours of overtime on any given day and more than 12–16 hours of overtime in a week, unless a collective agreement or specific legal provision allows otherwise. Additional restrictions may apply to young workers, pregnant employees, and night workers, who should not be required to perform long or irregular overtime that could endanger their health.

Overtime Payout Rates In Saint Lucia

Overtime work in Saint Lucia is typically compensated at a premium rate above the employee’s normal hourly wage. Common practice is to pay at least 150% of the regular rate for overtime hours worked on normal working days, and up to 200% for work performed on weekly rest days or public holidays, depending on the contract or collective agreement. You should clearly state overtime rates in employment contracts, specify whether time off in lieu is permitted by agreement, and ensure that payroll systems correctly calculate and document all overtime premiums to remain compliant and transparent.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Saint Lucia

In Saint Lucia, employees typically work around 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods and breaks are designed to ensure that these working hours do not compromise health, safety, or productivity. As an employer, you must structure work schedules so that meal breaks, daily rest, and weekly rest days are built around these standard hours, and ensure that any overtime or shift work does not erode the minimum rest protections employees are entitled to.

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