There is no national minimum wage. The Liechtenstein Workers Association negotiates minimum wages annually with the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber for Economic Affairs. The government estimated the poverty income level at 27,600 Swiss francs per year ($28,400) for a single person without family, approximately 2,300 Swiss francs ($2,370) monthly. For a single parent with two children, the minimum annual income was 48, 240 Swiss francs ($49,600), approximately 4,020 Swiss francs ($4,140) per month. For a household of two adults and two children, the minimum annual income was 55,500 Swiss francs ($57,100) per year, approximately 4,625 Swiss francs ($4,760) per month.
While the law explicitly requires equal pay for equal work, the median income for men during the year remained approximately 17.2 percent higher than that for women.
The law sets the maximum workweek at 45 hours for white-collar workers, employees of industrial firms, and sales personnel, and 48 hours for other workers. The law provides for a daily mandatory one-hour break and an 11-hour rest period for full-time workers; with few exceptions, the law does not allow work on Sunday. The law requires overtime pay to be at least 25 percent higher than the standard rate, and overtime is generally restricted to two hours per day. Overtime may also be compensated with additional time off. The average workweek, including overtime, may not exceed 48 hours over a period of four consecutive months. These standards also covered the thousands of workers who commuted daily from neighboring countries. The law covers all professions, but some exceptions to overtime limits were authorized in the areas of nursing and medical treatment. There were additional safeguards for youths, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as employees with family duties.
The Office of Labor Inspection, a part of the Department of National Economy, is responsible for enforcing labor laws, including regulations that mandate a healthy work environment, work hours, holidays, and workplace safety. The agency had inspectors in two sectors: one inspector for examining workplace conditions, such as wages and occupational health and safety, and two inspectors for controlling construction sites or work permits.
Workers can remove themselves from situations that endangered their health or safety without jeopardy to their employment, and authorities effectively protected employees in such cases.