One in four Malta workers work in their free time, new EU study shows

More than one in four workers in Malta report working during their free time at least several times a month, placing the country among those with the highest prevalence of the practice in the EU, according to new research by Eurofound.

The EU agency who describes itself as providing knowledge to assist in the development of better social, employment and work-related policies's Working anytime, anywhere: The quality of working time in the EU report examines how the growth of teleworking and flexible working arrangements is affecting employees' working hours, autonomy, work-life balance and health.

The findings are particularly notable given that Malta is not among the 13 EU Member States with a national right to disconnect. Such provisions, which seek to protect employees from having to engage with work-related communications outside their working hours, are currently in place in countries including France, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Eurofound noted that the right to disconnect has increasingly been introduced in response to workers carrying out work outside normal hours, a trend facilitated by digital tools and flexible working arrangements. This comes as between 26 and 27 per cent of workers in Malta reported working during their free time at least several times a month, compared with an EU average of 16 per cent.

This contrasts with the broader relationship observed in the EU, where countries with greater levels of homeworking generally also have higher levels of working-time autonomy.

Across the bloc, the share of employees working from home at least sometimes rose from eight per cent in 2015 to 22 per cent in 2024. Eurofound said teleworking accelerated during the pandemic before subsequently stabilising.

Malta fares better on predictability and rest

Despite the relatively high proportion working during their free time, Malta performed well on several other indicators of working-time quality.

Just six per cent of workers in Malta reported unpredictable working hours, the lowest figure among the countries highlighted as having relatively low prevalence and well below the EU average of 14 per cent. Eurofound's analysis also suggested that Malta has country-specific characteristics that improve the predictability of working hours.

Malta was also among the group of countries where between eight and 12 per cent of workers reported receiving less than 11 hours of rest between two working days at least once during the previous month.

The EU average stood at 18 per cent. Meanwhile, Malta was among the countries with the lowest prevalence of workers saying they rarely or never had enough time to complete their job, at between three and five per cent, compared with an EU average of 10 per cent.

Flexibility brings benefits and risks

The findings form part of a wider assessment of the changing nature of work across Europe, with Eurofound noting that flexible arrangements can provide employees with greater control over when and where they work, while simultaneously making the boundaries between professional and personal time less clear.

In 2024, employees working remotely remained more exposed to longer hours, overtime, work during their free time, irregular schedules, insufficient rest and the need to remain constantly available compared with employees working exclusively at their employer's premises.

Eurofound described a wider paradox in flexible working: employees can report a better work-life balance while at the same time being more likely to work during their free time. The impact depends partly on the amount of autonomy employees have over their schedules and on workplace culture and organisational practices.

Malta introduced new work-life balance rules

The report also examined regulatory developments across the EU. Malta's Work–Life Balance for Parents and Carers Regulations came into force in August 2022 and apply to workers with employment contracts.

Malta was among 15 countries identified as having addressed aspects of working-time flexibility through statutory reforms between 2021 and 2024. The changes across these countries were largely connected to the incorporation of the EU's Work–Life Balance Directive into national law and included rights to request flexible working arrangements for certain workers.

The country was also among 11 Member States to approve or update rules on recording working time since 2021.

However, Malta is not among the 13 EU Member States identified by Eurofound as having a national right to disconnect. Such provisions are currently found in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

Eurofound argued that frequent contact by employers or colleagues outside working hours has one of the strongest negative effects on employees' stress, mental strain and work-life balance. It said measures addressing contact outside working hours should cover all workers rather than teleworkers alone, while greater working-time autonomy should be accompanied by safeguards against excessive hours and highly flexible schedules.