G-P’s Employer of Record (EOR) model allows your company to start hiring talent in minutes via our global entity infrastructure. Unlike a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), G-P allows your company to expand your global footprint without the hassle of entity setup and management.
Our global employment products are backed by the largest team of HR and legal experts in the industry. We handle the growing complexities of compliant global expansion — so you can focus on opportunities ahead.
As a global EOR expert, we manage payroll, employment contract best practices, statutory and market norm benefits, employee expenses, as well as severance and termination. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you have a team of dedicated employment experts assisting with every hire. G-P allows you to harness the talent of the brightest people in 180+ countries around the world, quickly and easily.
Doing business in Liechtenstein
The country’s highly diversified and growing economy offers many opportunities for companies considering global expansion in Liechtenstein.
Recruiting in Liechtenstein is extremely competitive. Over half of the workforce commutes from a neighboring country, so hiring will likely require work permits for international employees.
Employment contracts in Liechtenstein
When negotiating the terms of an employment contract and offer letter with employees in Liechtenstein, it may be useful to keep the following details in mind. Several sectors may have employment conditions and market standards set by Gesamtarbeitsverträge (GAV), or Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
In Liechtenstein, employment contracts can be oral or written, but it is best practice to put a strong, written contract in place, in German, which spells out the terms of the employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. An offer letter and employment contract in Liechtenstein should always state the salary and any compensation amounts in Swiss francs rather than another currency.
Working hours in Liechtenstein
The maximum workweek for your employees is 45 to 48 hours, depending on the industry. Employees between the ages of 15 and 18 are an exception, and they should have a 40-hour workweek at most. If a company operates in an industrial, technical, or retail sector, employees over 18 year of age can work up to 45 hours a week. Employees in any other field should work a maximum of 48 hours per week. The workweek can be extended by an additional 4 hours for specific enterprises or groups.
Weekly overtime beyond an additional 4 hours is permitted only if the employee is willing. Companies must provide 25% additional remuneration or leave as compensation for overtime work. Nighttime work is prohibited and can only occur with special permission from the Office of Economic Affairs.
The total number of work hours within 4 months should not exceed 48 hours per week, including additional work hours. Additional work hours are allowed in specific circumstances with extra pay:
- Urgent tasks
- Inventory taking
- Extraordinary workload
- Liquidation and rendering of accounts
- Avoidance or rectification of critical operation interruptions
Rest day work is compensated at double the regular wages. Employees are also entitled to breaks corresponding to the number of consecutive hours worked:
- 15 minutes for 5.5 hours’ work
- 30 minutes for 7 hours of work
- 1 hour for 9 or more hours’ work
Vacation leave in Liechtenstein
Employees with a 5-day workweek are entitled to 20 days of paid annual leave. Those who work a 6-day week should receive 24 days of paid annual leave. Employees must notify their employers of the days they’d like to take leave, and employers may approve or deny requests for those days.
Unused leave from one year may be carried over to the next year if used by March 31.
Liechtenstein sick leave
Employees who have worked for their employer for at least 3 months and work over 8 hours per week may receive sick leave with full pay from their second day of absence until they return to work. They are also permitted up to 3 days of leave to care for a sick family member.
Maternity leave in Liechtenstein
Pregnant employees are entitled to 20 weeks of paid maternity leave, 16 of which must be taken after giving birth. Either parent may take up to 4 months of unpaid parental leave until the child turns 3. Adoptive or foster parents may take unpaid leave until the child turns 5.
Termination and severance in Liechtenstein
During the probationary period, employers may terminate employment at any time, provided they give 7 days’ notice. This period is generally 1-3 months. After the probationary period, employers may only dismiss an employee on justifiable grounds, and they must provide the appropriate notice:
- 1 month’s notice for 1 year of employment
- 2 months’ notice for 5-9 years of employment
- 3 months’ notice for 10 or more years of employment
If employers terminate employment due to economic issues, they must provide 4 weeks of pay per year of service as severance.
Liechtenstein taxes and benefits
Companies are responsible for withholding taxes from each employee’s paycheck and contributing to social security payments. The income tax system in the country is progressive, ranging from 0% to 8%. Employers will also need to pay a communal tax, which is a surcharge on the income tax.
Employees receive state-sponsored healthcare and social security. In many industries, providing a 13th-month salary at the end of the year is common practice, so employers may want to offer it as a bonus to employees.
Liechtenstein holidays
Employees are entitled to paid leave during each of these national public holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Epiphany
- Candlemas
- Easter Monday
- Labour Day/May Day
- Ascension Day
- Whit Monday
- Corpus Christi
- Liechtenstein National Day
- Nativity of Our Lady
- All Saints’ Day
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception
- Christmas Day
- St Stephen’s Day
Liechtenstein states may require leave for additional holidays.
Why G-P?
At G-P, we help companies unlock the power of the everywhere workforce through our industry-leading Global Growth Platform™. Let us handle the complex and costly tasks involved in finding, hiring, onboarding, and paying your team members, anywhere in the world, with the speed and guaranteed global compliance your business needs.
Contact us today to learn more.