Working in Malta

The job market (official statistics)

Unemployment was 3.1% in 2025 and the employment rate for 20–64-year-olds 83.6%, among the highest in the EU. The largest employers are financial services, remote gaming, tourism and hospitality, healthcare, education, construction, retail and public administration; demand for IT, finance, healthcare and hospitality staff has drawn workers from across the EU and beyond.

Official employment information

• Minimum wage: €994 a month for a full-time adult in 2026 (Eurostat series based on S.L. 452.71); weekly rates are set by the national standard order with annual cost-of-living adjustments.
• Contracts and hours: the Employment and Industrial Relations Act and its regulations set written statements of conditions, a 40-hour standard week with overtime rules, and a 48-hour average limit.
• Leave: statutory annual leave (around 24 working days, adjusted yearly for public holidays falling at weekends), 14 public holidays, sick leave per sector wage orders, maternity, paternity and parental leave under EU-aligned rules.
• Social security: employees and employers each pay Class 1 contributions (10% of the basic wage up to a ceiling) under the Social Security Act, which fund pensions, benefits and healthcare entitlement.
• Employment rights: the Department of Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) enforces conditions; disputes go to the Industrial Tribunal.
• Work permits: EU/EEA citizens register with Identità; non-EU citizens need a single permit (residence and employment) applied for with the employer after a Jobsplus vacancy check, with specialist fast-track schemes for key skills.

Editorial career information

Job searching runs through Jobsplus (the public employment service), company sites, recruitment agencies and LinkedIn; English is the working language in most companies; salaries are lower than in northern Europe but so is income tax at middle incomes. Networking matters in a small market. See Salaries.

Remote work, freelancing and self-employment

Self-employed people register with Jobsplus and the Commissioner for Revenue and pay Class 2 contributions; freelancers invoice with a VAT number above the registration threshold. Non-EU remote workers employed abroad may apply for the Nomad Residence Permit; MPRP residence does not itself include the right to work, which requires an employment licence. See Digital life: remote work.