Labor market in Maldives

National and Maale figures describe different populations. Census 2022 covered the Maldives, including atolls and resort islands. It recorded 281,131 Maldivian and 130,088 foreign residents of working age, with foreign residents representing 32% of the working-age population. The census reported 171,130 employed Maldivians and 9,244 unemployed Maldivians, corresponding to an International Labour Organization unemployment rate of 5.0%. The Maale Labour Force Survey from October 2024 to September 2025 covered Male' wards, Hulhumale and Vilimale, but excluded the atolls and resort islands. It recorded 141,039 employed and 3,289 unemployed people, a labor-force participation rate of 76.8%, an employment-to-population ratio of 75.0% and an unemployment rate of 2.3%. The Maale rate was 3.7% for Maldivians and 4.6% for Maldivians aged 15 to 34, so it should not be treated as a national rate. The survey also recorded 2,398 people in time-related underemployment and 6,269 people in the potential labor force; women represented 60.3% of the latter group. The broader LU4 measure was 7.9%, compared with 15.2% for women and 5.0% for men. Employment is concentrated in several sectors. Among employed Maldivians in Census 2022, public administration and defense accounted for 26,829 people, accommodation and food services for 25,099, wholesale and retail for 18,076, education for 17,558, transport and storage for 15,946, manufacturing for 13,311, health and social work for 10,367, and agriculture, forestry and fishing for 8,198. In Maale, wholesale and retail represented 19.0% of employment, public administration 14.5%, construction 12.6%, transport 10.1%, accommodation and food services 6.8%, education 6.5%, manufacturing 6.3% and health and social work 5.1%. Of the people employed in Maale, 110,579, or 78.4%, had tertiary education, 30,175, or 21.4%, had secondary education and 217 had primary education. Location changes the type and availability of work. Maale, including Male' wards, Hulhumale, Vilimale and Hulhule, accounted for 126,386 employed people, about 42% of the reported employed population. K Atoll had the largest reported atoll workforce at 36,212, followed by R at 12,979 and Addu City at 12,357; V Atoll had the smallest reported figure at 1,967. Atoll economies include fisheries, agriculture, manufacturing and local services. Non-administrative resort islands depend heavily on tourism and accommodation and have a high share of foreign labor. The Maldives National Qualifications Framework, or MNQF, organizes recognized qualifications. The Maldives National Skills Development Authority supports technical and vocational education and training, including National Competency Standards, registered training providers, trade testing, National Certificates, apprenticeships and the National Apprenticeship pathway. Current examples include Certificate III courses lasting about 15 weeks and Certificate IV or diploma courses lasting about one year in tourism, construction, fisheries and marine work, information and communication technology, care and renewable energy. Training or competency assessment can support access to work, but it does not automatically provide a job. Employers may set additional requirements. Skills reports identify personnel shortages in information and communication technology. The Maldives Qualifications Authority supports quality assurance for qualifications. Pay depends on the employer category and the worker's legal coverage. The Minimum Wage Order took effect on 1 January 2022. It covers workers other than expatriate employees and exempts micro-enterprises. Its stated hourly rates are MVR 21.63 for small enterprises, MVR 33.65 for medium enterprises, MVR 38.46 for other private employers and MVR 33.65 for public employment. For permanent public employees working at least 30 hours per week, the minimum is MVR 7,000 per month. Basic salary and fixed allowances count toward the stated floor, while overtime, Ramadan allowance, service charge, variable responsibility allowance, bonuses, seasonal allowances and benefits in kind are treated separately. The Service Charge Regulation is a separate framework, so service charge should not be assumed to be part of the minimum wage. MyCareer, also presented through the National Careers Service Job Center, provides a national online matching platform. Employers and jobseekers can register, search and apply for jobs or training, receive alerts based on skills, experience and preferences, and filter opportunities by salary, location, qualification, occupation, sector and employment type. Employment agencies regulated by the Labour Relations Authority provide another formal channel. Direct recruitment and informal networks remain relevant, but their exact share is not reliably measured. Public-sector recruitment is handled through the Civil Service Commission. Foreign workers need authorization linked to employment. An employer generally needs workplace registration, an approved quota and a Work Permit. The Entry Pass, also called a Work Permit, is converted into a Work e-Visa through Xpat Online, and the employer must apply within 15 days after arrival. Passport stickers have been invalid since 23 November 2025; an approved eVisa is required. A Sponsorship Declaration may be required and normally takes five working days. Permit fees depend on the case, and no single universal fee applies to every worker. A foreign worker's access therefore depends on the employer's authorization and compliance with the applicable rules. The Employment Act 2/2008, its eighth amendment effective 1 September 2024, and regulations of the Labour Relations Authority govern employment protections, contracts, pay, safety and service-charge matters. The Labour Relations Authority handles complaints and supervision, while the Employment Tribunal adjudicates employment disputes. Tourism remains a major source of demand: the Maldives recorded about 2.05 million tourist arrivals in 2024, an increase of 8.9%, and tourism contributed about 21% of GDP. Fisheries and tourism also expose employment to natural-resource and market changes. Fish-export volatility can affect related work, and construction demand is sensitive to costs and fiscal pressure. A World Bank estimate places informal employment at about 40%; only about one-third of resort employees are Maldivian. Skills development, information and communication technology, renewable energy, the blue economy and more resilient tourism and fisheries are identified areas of future demand.