SINGAPORE: Does Singapore have too few public holidays? One woman asked why The Little Red Dot only has 11 public holidays, especially in comparison to Hong Kong and Taiwan, which have more.
Ms Atena Wang clarified in her Sept 2 (Monday) Complaint Singapore Facebook post that hers is a “light-hearted post for fun and ranting”, but some members of the group appeared to take her seriously.
When one commenter seemed to take offence and told her that no one was forcing her to work in Singapore, she calmly explained that she’s a Singaporean specializing in human resources and has been asked this question many times.
And when one group member quipped, “Cuz in Singapore work until die,” many agreed.
“Because we are Singapore. We tend to achieve what others couldn’t,” a Facebook user chimed in. “That’s what we call productivity,” a netizen wrote.
Another, however, commented, “Because they run the country like a business.”
However, one Facebook user pointed out that “Gongxi Raya” will return in the next few years, when Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Chinese New Year will fall in the same week. When this happens from 2029 to 2031, Singaporeans will have more long weekends to look forward to.
Another wrote that employees in Singapore can take medical leave, childcare leave, hospitalization leave, annual leave, and even unpaid leave days to take off from work in addition to public holidays.
But Ms Wang replied to this comment with: “Unnecessary sick and unpaid leave are discouraged because it will affect the bonus payout.”
Singapore Public Holidays
The 11 public holidays in Singapore are New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year’s Eve and Day, Good Friday, Hari Raya Puasa, Labour Day, Vesak Day, Hari Raya Haji, National Day, Deepavali, and Christmas Day.
On the other hand, Hong Kong has 17 public holidays, including the Qingming Festival, Easter Monday, Buddha’s Birthday, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to some of the holidays also observed in Singapore.
Taiwan has between 10 and 15 public holidays each year. 2024 has 15 official holidays, and the government may specify additional public holidays each year.
Interestingly, Singapore’s closest neighbour, Malaysia, has many more public holidays. Malaysia can observe between 21 and 25 public holidays per year, depending on the authorities of each state.
One 2024 planner even pointed out that Malaysia had a whopping 47 public holidays this year, the most in the world!
A global list ranked Malaysia number 8 in the top 15 countries with the most public holidays. Nepal topped the list with 39 public holidays, followed by Myanmar (32) and Iran (26). /TISG
Read also: Good news! 4 long public holiday weekends in Singapore next year — MOM releases SG PH dates for 2025