Mauritian employment law works on a threshold system, and knowing which side of the line you are on matters.
The MUR 50,000 threshold
The previous Employment Rights Act 2008 generally applied to workers earning up to MUR 30,000 monthly.
The Workers' Rights Act 2019 raised that threshold to MUR 50,000.
So a substantially larger group of employees now falls within the Act's full protection than under the previous regime.
What applies regardless of salary
Several provisions extend to employees earning above the MUR 50,000 threshold, including those relating to:
- Discrimination in employment
- End of year bonus
- Maternity and paternity leave
- Juror's leave
- Leave to participate in international events
So even high earners retain a meaningful set of statutory rights.
Why this matters practically
If you earn above the threshold, your terms on matters like notice, working time and severance derive more from your contract than from the Act.
Read the contract carefully — it is doing more work than it would in a system with universal coverage.
The Act has been amended repeatedly
The Workers' Rights Act 2019 has been amended by a series of Acts since it came into force: Act No. 1 of 2020, Act No. 7 of 2020, Act No. 15 of 2021, Act No. 15 of 2022, Act No. 12 of 2023 and Act No. 11 of 2024.
Consolidated versions are published periodically. If you are relying on a specific provision, check you are reading a current consolidation.
The framework
Together, the Employment Relations Act, the Workers' Rights Act and associated circulars form the basis of Mauritian labour law. The 2019 Act has eleven schedules covering different aspects of employment.
Coverage of foreign workers
The labour regulations apply to both Mauritian and foreign employees working in Mauritius.