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Employment Laws

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Hire in Macau (China)

Horizons ensures day-to-day guidance to help your business navigate Macau’s labor laws and regulations. We also provide mandatory monthly payroll requirements, and absorb all local employment liabilities. Partnering with our Macau PEO is the quickest and most cost-effective way to enter the Macau market.

Facts & Stats

PEO Platform Hire in Macau, and pay employees through our platform or app.	PEO Cost Our Macau PEO solution is the most affordable on the market.	Time-to-hire Fast onboarding in Macau, hire in as little as 12 hours.
Contracts We draft labor contracts compliant with Macau labor law.	Local Benefits We administer all mandatory benefits and contributions in Macau.	180+ Countries It doesn’t stop with Macau — we are an international PEO

stay compliant with Macau labor laws

Employment Laws

Macau employment contract types

In Macau, it is not mandatory for all employment contracts to be drafted in writing. However, contracts must be written if they are executed with non-resident workers. This is because these contracts must contain the identification and signature of each party.

Even when employment contracts are not required to be in writing, best practice dictates that the agreement be clearly written – to establish the roles and responsibilities of both the employer and employee.

Employment contracts with non-resident workers must have a fixed term and be drafted in writing. They are required to contain the following information:

Complete identification of both parties
Address of both parties
The professional category of the worker, or the specific duties the employee will be required to complete
Compensation
Place of work
Normal working hours
Execution and effective date of the contract

By partnering with our Macau PEO, Horizons’ team of local experts can provide assistance for drafting strong employment contracts that are compliant with local regulations.

Fixed-term

Probationary period	3 – 6 months (standard)
Termination notice period	30 days (standard)
Severance	In cases of unjust termination: 7 – 20 days salary

Indefinite

Probationary period	3 – 6 months (standard)
Termination notice period	30 days (standard)
Severance	In cases of unjust termination: 7 – 20 days salary

Working hours in Macau

In Macau, the standard work day is eight hours. Employees typically work six days per week, meaning that a standard work week is around 48 hours. Depending on the business of an employer, daily work hours can be as much as 12, so long as employees consent to those hours. Macau law requires employers to provide employees with a break of at least 30 minutes, for every continuous five hours worked.

Overtime work in Macau is considered as work required beyond normal working hours. Both parties will typically agree to overtime, although there are some exceptions when the employer may require overtime without the employee’s consent. This could be in the event that an employer confronts an instance of force majeure, in which they are facing a considerable loss. Employee-consented overtime is paid at a rate of 120% of the base pay, while forced overtime is paid at a rate of 150% of the base pay.

Employees in Macau are entitled to one day of paid rest per week. However, parties can agree that the paid rest days occur at different frequencies. Employees may receive a minimum of six day’s paid leave, after one year of service. For contracts longer than three months, employees may take half a day off for every month of service completed.

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Holidays in Macau

Holiday Schedule in Macau [2024]

Macau has a range of national public holidays that are celebrated annually. In 2024 these holidays are:

Date	Holiday name
1 Jan, 2024	New Year’s Day
2 Jan, 2024	New Year Holiday
10 Feb, 2024	Lunar New Year (First Day)
11 Feb, 2024	Lunar New Year (Second Day)
12 Feb, 2024	Lunar New Year (Third Day)
13 Feb – 14 Feb	Lunar New Year Holiday
29 Mar, 2024	Good Friday
30 Mar, 2024	Holy Saturday
1 Apr, 2024	Holy Saturday Holiday
4 Apr, 2024	Cheng Ming Festival
1 May, 2024	Labor Day / May Day
15 May, 2024	Buddha’s Birthday
10 Jun, 2024	Dragon Boat Festival
18 Sep, 2024	Day after the Mid-Autumn-Festival
1 Oct, 2024	National Day of the People’s Republic of China
2 Oct, 2024	Day after PRC National Day
11 Oct, 2024	Chong Yeung Festival (Festival of Ancestors)
2 Nov, 2024	All Soul’s Day
8 Dec, 2024	Feast of the Immaculate Conception
20 Dec, 2024	Macau S.A.R. Establishment Day
21 Dec, 2024	Winter Solstice
24 Dec, 2024	Christmas Eve
25 Dec, 2024	Christmas Day
26 Dec, 2024	Christmas Eve Holiday

Income tax

Resident and non-resident workers are subject to tax on income generated whilst working in Macau. This is a progressive tax between 7% and 12%, with higher tax rates for individuals earning more income. A tax-free annual allowance is first deducted form the pay, which is MOP 144,000.

Under Macau’s tax system, there is no tax on global income. This means that taxes are only payable on the wages that a Macau employer has distributed to employees.

Local employees must be registered with the Macau Social Security Fund. Employers pay MOP90 each month and deduct MOP30 from each resident employee’s salary. The employer is then required to pay MOP200 every quarter, for each non-resident employee.

Employers should maintain records regarding employee compensation and also document employees’ names, tax numbers, addresses, and pay periods. Additionally, employers need to file documentation with the Macau Finance Department by February 28 each year. This documentation should include names and tax numbers of all employees who received wages from the employer within the past year.

Health insurance

Macau has a universal healthcare, single-payer system. Employers and employees share the costs of funding health care insurance, which is approximately 5% of an employee’s earnings. Expats in Macau are also required to make these contributions.

Vacation leave

Employees in Macau are entitled to a minimum of six working days of paid annual leave during their second year of company service. If the duration of employment is less than a year but over three months, the employee is entitled to half a day’s leave for every month of service. This is to be taken in the second year of company service.

When the number of days left remaining in a period reaches 15, this is counted as half a day towards annual leave. As an example, an employee that has worked five months and 16 days in one year will be entitled to six half days of paid annual leave in the following year.

Sick leave and justified absences

Employees can take 30 consecutive days, or 45 non-consecutive days off due to sickness in a given year. Six days of this sick leave are paid for by the employer. If an employee is absent because of a sickness or injury related to work, they may be entitled to compensation that is equal to two-thirds of their salary, during the period of absence.

Employees in Macau are entitled to three day’s leave from work in the event that a direct relative dies. This rises to 12 day’s leave if there is a need to provide assistance to a family member.

Additionally, employees are entitled to six day’s leave if they are getting married.

Whilst there are additional absences that may be justified, employees need to provide relevant documentation to the employer, in order to qualify for an exemption.

Maternity and paternity leave in Macau

Female employees in Macau are entitled to 70 day’s maternity leave. Through until May 25, 2023, the minimum employer-paid period remains at 56 days. The FSS will pay 100% of base pay to the employee for up to 14 days (subject to the overall combined cap of 70 days). From May 26, 2023, employers will be responsible for the full 70 days of paid leave. To qualify for the government subsidy, eligible employees must have a minimum of one year’s service with their current employer, prior to the start of leave.

Male employees with a year or more of service are entitled to five working days of paternity leave. These days may be taken consecutively or separately – up to 30 days after the birth of the child.

Termination and severance

In Macau, employees can terminate their employment contracts at any time, but they must give at least seven day’s notice before the termination date. Individual employment contracts may specify a longer period of notice. Employees can choose to be paid in-lieu of working during the notice period.

Macau law provides a distinction between dismissal with and without cause. Dismissal without cause requires at least 15 day’s notice, or longer if the employment contract states otherwise. Payment can be made in-lieu of the notice period. Employees who are dismissed without cause are entitled to redundancy payments. This is based on the number of year’s company service, up to MOP 240,000.

In Macau, dismissal with cause is immediate and employees are not entitled to severance pay or other compensation. The employer must specify in writing the reasons for dismissal, within 30 days of there being grounds for dismissal.

Dismissal with cause is limited to the following reasons:

Willful disobedience
Repeated failure to fulfill duties
Chronic tardiness or leaving work early without authorization
Unjustified absences from work
False statements regarding the justification of absences
Acts of physical violence
Severe harm to the interests of the business
Continued provocation of disputes with other employees
Reduced productivity that has been intentionally caused
Violation of safety rules

If it is found that dismissal with cause did not have sufficient grounds, employees will be entitled to their rightful compensation.

Navigating employee terminations and handling severance packages can be complicated for companies expanding overseas for the first time. Horizons’ Macau PEO can mitigate risk for foreign companies and provide guidance through this process.

Work permits

Non-residents of Macau must have a work permit that is issued from the Labor Affairs Bureau. Before any work permit is issued, the employer should obtain authorization from the Chinese government to hire non-resident workers. This permission is granted from either the Macau SAR’s Chief Executive, or another delegated government body.

Hiring non-resident workers should be limited to circumstances where local employees are unable to meet work objectives. The employment of non-resident workers should not result in the termination of resident employees, or a decline in working conditions for resident workers.

The process to obtain a work permit often takes three to four months, from the initial request to hire non-resident workers.

Hire in Macau in 12h
without your own local entity.

With Horizons, you get quick service, transparent pricing, and expert support.

FAQs

What is the difference between a Macau PEO and a Macau EOR?

A Macau PEO and a Macau EOR are two types of companies which specialize in providing human resources services to businesses in Macau.

The main difference between a Macau PEO and a Macau EOR is in the scope of their services.

Macau PEOs provide a full range of HR services, including payroll, benefits administration, and employee recruiting—all under one roof as a co-employer. Engaging a Macau PEO is essentially outsourcing your HR duties in Macau.

Macau EORs actually take over as the legal employer of your employees based abroad. Macau EORs become responsible for labor compliance for your employees in Macau.

At Horizons, we offer both PEO and EOR services in Macau. Get in touch now and let us know what service you are seeking.

Can a PEO in Macau hire both local and foreign nationals to work in Macau ?

A PEO in Macau can feasibly hire both local and foreign nationals to work in Macau.

However, the ability of Horizons to sponsor your foreign national employee in Macau may be limited due to visa quotas practiced in many countries.

Contact us with your requirements and our Global Mobility team with review the case and get back to you within 2 business days.

How long does Horizons' Macau PEO service take to hire an employee?

In most cases, Horizons’ Macau PEO can hire & onboard your employee within 24 hours. The actual start date of the employee will depend on their notice period obligation to their previous employer as well as any relevant hiring rules in Macau.

Is it possible to get a work visa in Macau ?

It is possible to get a work visa in Macau. Horizons’ Global Mobility team is a dedicated team of work visa experts. They assess the details of each case to determine feasibility and costs before Horizons applies for the work visa on behalf of your employee. If the Global Mobility team determines that your case is feasible, the process is smooth and transparent. Visa spots in Macau are limited, however—get started today to secure your employees’ visa spot.

Macau PEO & Employer of Record

Start hiring in Macau

Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons PEO

Hire in Macau (China)

Facts & Stats

stay compliant with Macau labor laws

Employment Laws

Macau employment contract types

Fixed-term

Indefinite

Working hours in Macau

Hire compliantly in Macau without a local entity.

Holidays in Macau

Income tax

Health insurance

Vacation leave

Sick leave and justified absences

Maternity and paternity leave in Macau

Termination and severance

Work permits

Hire in Macau in 12h
without your own local entity.

FAQs

180+

100+

24x5

130+

180+

100+

24x5

130+

The Global Workforce Payment Platform

What to expect when you connect with Horizons

Macau PEO & Employer of Record

Start hiring in Macau

Simple, compliant hiring with Horizons PEO

Hire in Macau (China)

Facts & Stats

stay compliant with Macau labor laws

Employment Laws

Macau employment contract types

Fixed-term

Indefinite

Working hours in Macau

Hire compliantly in Macau without a local entity.

Holidays in Macau

Income tax

Health insurance

Vacation leave

Sick leave and justified absences

Maternity and paternity leave in Macau

Termination and severance

Work permits

Hire in Macau in 12h without your own local entity.

FAQs

180+

100+

24x5

130+

180+

100+

24x5

130+

The Global Workforce Payment Platform

What to expect when you connect with Horizons

Hire in Macau in 12h
without your own local entity.