Zero-hours Contracts Of Employment: A Common, But Not Regulated Practice In Malta

In Malta, many employees benefit from flexible working time arrangements, such as, amongst other, those relating to the so-called zero-hours contracts of employment (also known as "key time contracts") which allow employees to balance their work and home life.

As opposed to any other employment agreement, a zero-hours contract of employment does not specify the number of hours which the employee may be required to work per week. In fact, the same employee is only required to be available to perform his/her duties whenever the employer so requests. Therefore, they are not guaranteed to work on a regular weekly working time basis, as the hours of work can vary each week. In this respect, the respective employees are only paid for the number of hours weekly worked.