Eleven paid holidays
Employees covered by the Employment Act receive 11 paid gazetted public holidays: New Year, both Chinese New Year days, Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, Good Friday, Labour Day, Vesak Day, National Day, Deepavali and Christmas. When a holiday coincides with the rest day, the next working day becomes the paid holiday.
Eligibility for holiday pay
Holiday pay uses the gross rate. Unauthorised absence without reasonable excuse on the working day immediately before or after the holiday can remove entitlement. Authorised adjacent leave does not. A holiday falling within approved unpaid leave is unpaid: unpaid leave on 8 August alone leaves 9 August payable, but unpaid leave from 8–10 August makes 9 August unpaid.
Working-day, non-working-day and rest-day scenarios
For a five-day week, Saturday is normally the non-working day and Sunday the rest day. Apply the correct rule rather than treating both as the same. Contractual terms govern employees outside the Employment Act.
| Holiday falls on | Entitlement / work payment |
|---|---|
| Working day | Gross holiday pay is included in monthly salary; work adds one day basic pay, plus overtime beyond normal hours |
| Non-working day | Another day off or one day gross pay in lieu; overtime rules apply to additional work |
| Rest day | Next working day is the paid holiday; actual rest-day work receives rest-day pay plus qualifying overtime |
Substitution and time off
Employer and employee may agree to substitute another working day for the public holiday. Time off in hours instead of holiday-work pay is available only to employees outside Part 4 and normally by agreement. Without agreement on duration, the employer may pay an extra day basic salary, allow four hours off where holiday work was four hours or less, or a full day off where work exceeded four hours. Unexplained absence adjacent to the holiday permits deduction of one gross-paid day from monthly gross salary.