Employer in Liechtenstein

An employer and an employee establish the employment relationship through mutual declarations in an employment contract. The contract may not undercut mandatory provisions of the Liechtenstein General Civil Code, public labour law, an applicable Gesamtarbeitsvertrag (GAV), a generally binding GAV known as an aveGAV, or a Normalarbeitsvertrag (NAV). A GAV sets employment conditions for a sector or group of employers and employees; an aveGAV applies to the businesses and employees covered by its declaration of general binding force. A NAV provides standard employment conditions for a defined area where it applies. Liechtenstein has no single authority responsible for every employer matter. The Amt für Volkswirtschaft (AVW), especially its department for working conditions, supervises the Labour Act and related regulations, working time and rest periods, permits, inspections and psychosocial risks. The AHV-IV-FAK handles social-insurance registration and contributions. The Ausländer- und Passamt handles work authorisations and reports concerning foreign workers. Approved insurers provide accident cover, while health insurers provide mandatory sickness benefits. ZPK and SAVE monitor applicable generally binding collective agreements and may impose control costs or contractual penalties when an aveGAV is breached. WKL and LANV act as social partners; WKL is a private business association, not a regulator. Before a foreign employee starts work, the employer checks whether the person has the required work entitlement. An EWR cross-border worker must generally be reported to the Ausländer- und Passamt within 10 days after starting work. The employer registers employees, declares wages, corrects payroll information and makes payments through AHVeasy. Private employment agencies and labour-leasing businesses require permits. A responsible person must have the required specialist knowledge, and a labour-leasing business must additionally provide a security deposit. Equal-treatment requirements apply during recruitment and employment. For 2026, the employer shares are 4.225% for AHV, 0.675% for IV, 1.900% for FAK and 0.585% for VK, together 7.385% before unemployment insurance. Employer and employee each pay 0.5% unemployment insurance contributions on annual wages up to CHF 126,000. The employer normally withholds the employee deductions, adds the employer shares and remits the amounts. Mandatory accident insurance covers occupational accidents, occupational diseases and, under the applicable conditions, non-occupational accidents; non-occupational accident cover generally begins at 8 working hours per week. Occupational pension insurance generally applies from annual income of CHF 14,700. Employers generally arrange collective daily sickness allowance insurance, pay half of that premium and pay the statutory health-insurance contribution. Rates and thresholds require an annual check. The employer assesses workplace hazards and introduces measures based on experience, the state of the art and proportionality. This includes suitable workplaces, machines, chemicals, work and rest arrangements, safety systems, instructions, protective equipment and trained staff for special hazards. Night, Sunday and public-holiday work is generally restricted and may require a permit under the statutory conditions. Special protection applies to young people, pregnancy and breastfeeding. The employer must also protect personal integrity, including against bullying, sexual harassment, excessive stress and burnout-related risks. The Mitwirkungsgesetz (MWG) governs employee participation in permanently staffed Liechtenstein establishments. An Arbeitnehmervertretung, meaning an employee representative body, is established when the relevant threshold is reached: at least 50 employees in an enterprise or at least 20 employees in an independently taxable part of a company. The headcount is based on the average over the previous two years. A secret election takes place within six months after the threshold is reached, and the body has at least three members. If no body is elected, employees retain direct participation rights. Below the threshold, direct information and participation rights still apply in defined areas. The employer must provide information at least annually about the economic situation, employment prospects, planned measures and fundamental changes to work organisation. Hearing rights apply to matters such as occupational safety, health protection, a business transfer and mass dismissals. The employer provides the necessary rooms, tools and administrative support and may not obstruct or retaliate against participation. Disputes under the MWG go to the Landgericht. Private claims arising from an employment relationship are generally handled by the ordinary courts, including the Landgericht. The AVW can enforce public minimum rules on its own initiative. Breaches of an aveGAV may be monitored by SAVE or ZPK and can lead to control costs or contractual penalties. The competent body therefore depends on whether the dispute concerns a private contractual claim, a public protective rule, employee participation or a generally binding collective agreement. During a Betriebsübergang, meaning a transfer of a business or business part, the employment relationship generally passes to the acquiring employer with its existing rights and duties unless the employee rejects the transfer. The former and new employers can remain jointly liable for specified claims, and the Arbeitnehmervertretung must be involved. A Massenentlassung means at least 20 operational terminations within 90 days. The employer consults before making the final decision, gives the reasons, affected categories and numbers, the regular workforce, the relevant period and the method for a Sozialplan, and sends written notice to the AVW with a copy to the employee representatives. The dismissals generally take effect no earlier than 30 days after the AVW receives the notice unless another rule applies. Kurzarbeitsentschädigung (KAE) through unemployment insurance can preserve jobs during a temporary, unavoidable economic loss. The employer submits the written application at least seven working days before the planned start, and affected employees must consent. The regular maximum is 18 months within a two-year framework; a temporary 24-period rule applies to applications from 1 May 2026 until 31 March 2027, while the treatment of structural losses and the current validity of temporary rules should be checked before filing.