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Oral Answer by Senior Minister of State, Dr Koh Poh Koon, to PQ on Annual Leave

Employment practices

 NOTICE PAPER NO. 549 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 27 JULY

QUESTION NO. 1408 FOR ORAL ANSWER

 

MP: MR LOUIS NG KOK KWANG

 

To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider increasing the minimum amount of annual leave entitlement.

 

Answer

 

  1. Annual leave should be viewed in context, alongside other entitlements that similarly support employees in balancing work and personal needs. These include paid public holidays, sick leave, childcare leave, maternity leave and paternity leave. There has also been a significant push to support the adoption of work-life initiatives and flexible work arrangements, such as through the Tripartite Standards on Work-Life Harmony and Flexible Work Arrangements.

     

  2. Any increase in annual leave entitlements entails business costs, and must be carefully considered in a tripartite manner. This enables us to take into account business needs and ensure employees’ employability.

     

  3. Bearing in mind the current economic conditions and the existing suite of other leave entitlements, there are currently no plans to review minimum annual leave entitlements. MOM and our tripartite partners will nevertheless continue to monitor the labour market situation and needs of our workforce.