A Comprehensive Look at Mauritius' Labour Force and Employment Laws
Skills and labour force
The population of Mauritius was estimated at 1.27 million in July 2021 by the country's official statistics agency, Statistics Mauritius. The working population of Mauritius is highly educated and bilingual.
In 2020, there were 319 primary schools, 179 secondary schools, and 464 vocational schools in Mauritius. Estimates put the total government expenditure for the 2020/21 fiscal year at MUR 185,029 million, with 8.1% going toward education. In 2018, the adult literacy rate in Mauritius was 91.33 percent, according to the World Bank's database of development indicators, while it was 86.2 percent globally.
Work and Agreements
An employment agreement can have a set or open end date.
Only when an employee's position is temporary, seasonal, or project-related can a fixed-term agreement be made, as opposed to for expatriates or those making a monthly basic salary in excess of Rs50,000.
A written statement of particulars of employment (employment contract) in the form specified in the First Schedule of the Workers' Right Act is required under Section 11 of the WRA (WRA). The following are some of the most important terms that should be included in employment contracts:
Company Information
Specifics about the Employee's Start Date and Employment Term
Compensation and perks
Work location and schedule
Title, Responsibilities, and Accountability
Time spent working
With the exception of certain industries and as otherwise agreed upon, the standard work week for all employees (excluding part-timers and gardes-malades) is 45 hours.
These are the components of a typical workday, excluding breaks for lunch and tea: Work nine hours on any five days of the week, excluding public holidays, if the worker is scheduled to work five days per week; work eight hours on any five days of the week, excluding public holidays; work five hours on one other day of the week, excluding public holidays, if the worker is scheduled to work six days per week.
Workers may be required to report to work on any day of the week (including holidays) depending on the needs of the business.
Except in exigent circumstances and subject to any other applicable law, no employee (other than a garde malade) shall be required to work more than 12 hours in a day.
Unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties, an employer must pay an employee their wages once per month. Wages are due to employees on or before the last business day of the pay period. Except as provided by law or court order, no deductions may be taken from an employee's pay without the employee's written consent.
A payslip in the format specified in the WRA's Second Schedule must be provided to each employee upon payment of wages.
When a public holiday (other than a Sunday) falls on a regular workday, the employee is entitled to a full day's pay, as is the case when the employee is absent from work due to a cyclone warning (levels III and IV).
Each year in the month of January, employers must give their workers a cost-of-living increase payment in accordance with government guidelines.
Starting in January 2018, all full-time workers must pay attention to the National Minimum Wage. In terms of salary, the NMW was last updated in January 2020 and is subject to annual adjustments. Starting on January 1, 2022, the following will be the NMW:
Sector | National Minimum Wage |
Business Not Engaged | Rs 11,575 |
Businesses Exporting | Rs 10,875 |
Category of Work
Occupational Group
The typical salary of a worker in rupees per month (US Dollars in bracket)
Occupational Group | The typical salary of a worker in rupees per month (US Dollars in bracket) | | |
| Male | Female | Both Sexes |
Managers, executives, professionals, technicians, and associate professionals of both sexes | 44,600 (1,014) | 34,800 (791) | 39,800 (905) |
Administrative assistants | 22,300 (507) | 20,200 (459) | 20,900 (475) |
Those in sales and customer service | 23,600 (536) | 13,300 (302) | 19,100 (434) |
Professionals in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing industries; Technicians in related crafts; Operators and assemblers of machinery and equipment | 16,900 (384) | 11,700 (266) | 16,400 (373) |
Work in the Lower Ranks | 16,300 (370) | 9,700 (220) | 12,700 (289) |
Everyone in the Workforce | 25,000 (568) | 20,000 (455) | 22,800 (518) |
Intangible Gains
Condition | Benefit |
For all employees | An annual bonus equal to one-twelfth of salary is awarded. |
| Provide for the workers' health and safety needs appropriately. |
| In the event of an on-the-job injury or illness, workers should have access to reliable transportation that can return them to their homes or nearby medical facilities |
| Request for Jury Duty Leave under the Courts Act |
| Permission to travel abroad for the purpose of participating in an international sporting event |
| To be excused from work and paid in full if he needs to appear in court as a witness or party in a case; this includes cases in which the employee is representing the company. |
After being on the job for a full six months | After being on the job for a full six months |
Following a year of dedicated service | There are 20 vacation days per year. |
| Two extra vacation days |
| Paid sick leave for 15 days |
| Granted six days of paid leave to attend first wedding, regardless of its legal status. |
| Employees are given three paid days off to celebrate a child's first marriage, whether it be secular or religious. |
| If a worker loses a parent, sibling, spouse, or child, they are entitled to three days of paid time off. |
| Five consecutive workdays off for fatherhood (the leave is without pay before 12 months) |
After working without interruption for five years | Take 30 days off with pay for vacation. |
Maternity benefits | If a woman has worked for the company for less than 14 weeks, she is entitled to 14 weeks of unpaid maternity leave in the event of confinement or the birth of a stillborn child. |
| In the event of a miscarriage, an employee is entitled to three weeks of unpaid leave. |
| Women with at least 12 months of service are eligible to receive a Rs 3,000 maternity allowance. |
| When a female employee with at least 12 months of continuous employment adopts a child younger than 12 months old, she is entitled to 14 weeks of leave at full pay. |
| Nursing mothers are entitled to two 30-minute breaks per day or one 1-hour break per day for the first six months after confinement, or for such longer period as may be recommended by a physician. |
Gains apart from pay
The following non-monetary benefits are mandated by law and should be made available to employees by their employers.
Contribution | Compensation Paid Monthly | Contribution made by the employer | Contribution made by the employee |
The Social Contribution and Social Benefits Act's (SCSA's) compulsory social contributions (CSG) | Salary of up to Rs50,000 per month Monthly Pay scale greater than Rs. 50,000 | 3% / 6% | 1.5% / 3% |
Fund for National Savings established by the National Savings Act | Cost-of-living allowance (currently capped to Rs 21,255) | 2.5% | 1% |
Funding for Human Resource Development Training Levy | Complete minimum wage | 1.5% | nil |
Workers' Rights Act Portable Retirement Gratuity Fund (PRGF) | Monthly Remuneration (base + overtime + attendance bonus + productivity bonus) | 4.5% | nil |
Permits to Work
Employment in Mauritius is restricted to foreign nationals who have obtained both a work permit and a residence permit.
The employer submits the application to the appropriate government agencies and pays all associated fees for the work and residence permits.
The Ministry of Labor issues work permits under the Non-Citizens (Employment Restriction) Act of 1973, while the Passport and Immigration Office issues residence permits/entry permits.
The work permit authorizes the migrant worker to work for the specific employer named therein and expires once the worker's employment with that employer ends. Since it is illegal to keep working after a work permit has expired, the employee will be required to leave the country.
Employers must also meet requirements set forth by the Ministry of Labour with regards to providing free housing, providing a round-trip ticket, and maintaining a local-to-foreign worker ratio.
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