The minimum wage in Moldova is a must-know for employers, as the government enforces strict compliance. Here’s a complete guide to Moldova’s minimum wage and other responsibilities and laws that employers are expected to comply with.

What is Moldova’s Minimum Wage?

As of January 2026, the minimum wage in Moldova is MDL 6,300 per month. For workers in Moldova, the average working time of 169 hours in a month means that the MDL 6,300 minimum wage is equivalent to MDL 37.28 per hour.

Minimum Wage History in Moldova

The current MDL 6,300 minimum wage was implemented on January 1, 2026, and it is a 14.5% improvement on the previous 2025 monthly minimum wage of MDL 5,500. For an average of 169 hours of work in a month, the previous 2025 minimum wage amounted to MDL 32.54 per hour.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova is the bridge between workers and the government. The Ministry proposes minimum wage adjustments to favour workers, and the Prime Minister approves these adjustments.

In 2001, the first officially established minimum wage was set at MDL 150 per month. Since then, there have been frequent reviews of the country’s minimum wage, ensuring that citizens earn enough to keep up with economic changes.

Two-Tier System

Before 2023, there were two different minimum wage amounts for workers in Moldova. The amount for public sector workers was less than that for those in the private sector.

A partnership with the International Labour Organisation in 2022 helped to unify the minimum wage for workers in both sectors. A new unified minimum wage of MDL 4,000 was introduced in the following year, 2023.

As an employer in Moldova, expect frequent increases in the minimum wage you have to pay workers. To give you an idea of minimum wage progression in Moldova, check out the table below for the changes in minimum wage figures since 2015.

Year of ReviewMonthly Minimum Wage (Public/Private Sector)
2015MDL 1,000 / 1,900
2016MDL 1,000 / 2,100
2017MDL 1,000 / 2,380
2018MDL 1,000 / 2,610
2019MDL 1,000 / 2,775
2021MDL 1,000 / 2,935
2022MDL 1,000 / 3,500
2023MDL 4,000
2024MDL 5,000
2025MDL 5,500
2026MDL 6,300

Working Hours in Moldova

The working hours for an employee in Moldova is an important component of the country’s labour laws. While the actual minimum wage figure of MDL 6,300 is for a monthly basis, it is also used to calculate the minimum wage for hourly pay.

The average number of working hours in a month in Moldova is 169 hours. Dividing the MDL 6,300 minimum wage by 169 gives an hourly minimum wage of 37.28 per hour.

Weekly Working Hours

According to Moldova’s Labour Code, which was established in March 2003, the maximum number of normal working hours in a week for full-time employees is 40.

The number of normal working hours in a week is smaller under certain circumstances, such as:

  • 24 hours maximum for employees between the ages of 15 and 16
  • 35 hours maximum for employees between the ages of 16 and 18
  • 35 hours maximum for employees working under conditions considered harmful by the government
  • 30 hours maximum for employees with severe disabilities

Daily Working Hours

The regular distribution for working hours in Moldova is 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, amounting to 40 weekly hours. In cases where a 5-day work week is not feasible, employers and employees can agree to implement a 6-day work week.

In other cases, a work week can be compressed into 4 or 4-and-a-half days, without exceeding the 40-hour weekly limit.

While the normal working time per day is 8 hours, the maximum duration for normal working time in a day is 10 hours.

Some other exceptions to the daily working hours are:

  • 5 hours maximum for employees younger than 16
  • 7 hours maximum for employees between the ages of 16 and 18 working under harmful conditions

Shift Work

In cases where an employee is required to carry out shift work, the employee needs to be informed at least 14 days in advance. The maximum time limit for a shift is 24 hours.

Overtime

If an employer requires an employee to work additional hours outside normal working time, the total working hours in a week must not exceed 48. The 48-hour weekly limit applies to either individual weeks or the weekly average over a 4-month period.

Also, the total number of additional hours that an employer can request from an employee must not exceed 240 hours in a calendar year.

Part-Time Workers

Employers in Moldova are able to hire employees on a part-time basis, during which the employees work for a partial day or week. In such cases, the employer is mandated by law to treat them fairly and with no discrimination compared to full-time workers.

Part-time employees must have access to benefits, including professional training. Also, employers are expected to give fair consideration to requests made by part-time employees who wish to transfer to full-time roles and vice versa.

Employer Contributions to Social Security

If you’re looking to recruit employees in Moldova, you are required as an employer to make social security contributions. Your contributions to Moldova’s social security fund – Casa Națională de Asigurări Sociale (CNAS) – are a percentage of your employee’s payroll.

The contribution percentage for employers who own private, medical, and higher education organisations is 24%. However, for employers whose employees work under special conditions, the rate is higher – 32%.

Moldova makes exceptions for employers in agriculture, as you only need to contribute 18%, with the state budget contributing an additional 6% to make up 24%.

What Other Rights Are Employees Entitled To?

As an employer in Moldova, besides meeting minimum wage requirements, some of the other rights that you are expected to offer your employees include:

  • Annual leave (minimum of 28 calendar days)
  • Medical leave
  • Maternity leave
  • Access to professional training

Cost of Living vs Minimum Wage

According to Numbeo, the monthly cost of living in Moldova (excluding rent) is approximately €536.2 (MDL 10,592) for a single person and €1,841.1 (MDL 36,370) for a family of four.

When you consider that Moldova’s minimum wage is MDL 6,300, it is obvious that there is still a significant gap between the minimum wage and the estimated living cost.

Personal Income Tax in Moldova

Income generated in Moldova is subject to income tax. After you pay your employees in Moldova, they are expected to pay income tax of 12% of their taxable income in a calendar year.

There are a few exceptions to this figure, such as 7% income tax for farming establishments.

Employing Workers in Moldova Made Easy

Hiring workers in Moldova does not require your physical presence or registering a company in the country. RemotePeople is a legal employer of record in Moldova.

We’ll help you with finding and hiring the right employees in Moldova, onboarding and managing them, paying their wages, and handling taxes in compliance with Moldova’s Labour Code.