Employers urged to 'holistically' review employment benefits
Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon has said there are no current plans to review Singapore's minimum annual leave entitlements, but urged employers to "holistically" review their employment benefits.
Under the Employment Act 1968, Singapore's employees are entitled to a minimum of seven days of annual leave, which increases by one day for every year of service.
Koh was asked by MP Louis Ng in Parliament if there are any plans for the government to increase this seven-day minimum entitlement for workers.
"There are no plans to review the annual leave entitlements for now," Koh answered.
Ng has been calling for an increase in Singapore's seven-day minimum leave since last year, saying that it's "extremely low" when compared to other Asian nations.
"Our people will always work hard to top global rankings in all industries, but let's make sure we don't top the ranking of being the most overworked city in the world. They need more annual leave," Ng previously said in Parliament.
Annual leave’s impact on business costs
Koh said a review of minimum annual leave should not only consider employees' needs.
"Reviews of leave entitlements must also take into account the impact on business costs," he said on Wednesday.
The official also pointed out that the government recently updated other leave entitlements for employees.
"Annual leave entitlements must be seen alongside other entitlements that similarly support employees in balancing work and personal needs. These include paid public holidays, sick leave, and parental leave, which we have just recently enhanced," he said.
Despite the lack of plans, Koh urged employers to review the benefits they offer to staff.
"We encourage more employers to review their employment benefits holistically to better attract and retain talent in our tight labour market," he said.
In Singapore, more than 90% of full-time resident employees aged between 25 and 64 already have more than seven days of annual leave in 2022, according to Koh, citing Ministry of Manpower data.
Among them, there are 64.6% who are already entitled to 15 days of more of annual leave, up from the 61.1% in 2018.
