The Government of the Maldives has proposed an amendment to the Employment Act to implement a minimum wage for foreign workers to an indefinite date. The decision was made as the government has found it difficult to implement the minimum wage for foreign workers at the specified date due to the current economic situation of the Maldives.
Parliamentarian Jamsheed Mohamed proposed the amendment on behalf of the government and said that the worsening global economic situation has also impacted the Maldives. As such, he proposed to amend the Employment Act to change the two-year window to implement the minimum wage. He noted the date was set by the government on recommendations made by the minimum wage advisory board based on the economic situation at the time.
The government set a minimum wage of USD291 per month for small enterprises, where an employee works eight hours per day, but decided to implement the minimum wage for foreign workers within two years. The minimum wage for medium-level enterprises and civil servants is USD453.