Singapore Labor Laws and HR Statutory Requirements
Maternity and Paternity Leave
Statutory parental leave entitlements are provided under the Child Development Co Savings Act and administered by the Ministry of Manpower schemes, subject to eligibility.
Maternity leave entitlements are either 16 weeks of Government Paid Maternity Leave (for eligible mothers of Singapore citizen children who have worked at least three continuous months) or 12 weeks of maternity leave under the Employment Act for noneligible cases.
Working fathers can take up to four weeks of paternity leave if the child is a Singaporean citizen, the employee is or has been married to the child’s mother, and the employee has worked for at least three continuous months.
Annual Leave Requirements
All employees are entitled to paid annual leave if they have worked for at least 3 months for an employer. The annual leave statutory minimum is:
|
Years of Continuous Service |
Annual Leave Days |
|
1 |
7 |
|
2 |
8 |
| 3 |
9 |
| 4 |
10 |
| 5 |
11 |
| 6 |
12 |
| 7 |
13 |
| 8 or more |
14 |
As of January 1, 2026, employees remain entitled to the below paid sick leave allotments:
| Months of Completed Service |
Paid Outpatient Non-Hospitalization Leave Days |
Paid Hospitilzation Leave Days |
|
3 months |
5 |
15 |
|
4 months |
8 |
30 |
| 5 months |
11 |
45 |
| 6 months or more |
14 |
60 |
Under the Employment Act, full-time employees who have not completed a full year of service or those employees who work part-time (under 35 hours per week) are still entitled to annual and sick leave, though the allotment should be prorated based on number of hours worked.
Additional guidance with proration examples can be found in the Guide on Employment Laws brochure provided by the Ministry of Manpower.
Retirement Requirements
Under the Retirement and Re employment Act (RRA), employers cannot dismiss an employee on the basis of age before the employee reaches 63.
Effective July 1, 2026, retirement age increases to 64. Employers must also offer reemployment to eligible employees up to age 69. Reemployment contracts must be at least 1 year and renewable annually up to the reemployment age; however, terms may be adjusted to suit both parties.
The Ministry of Manpower provides additional resources for employers and employees, including reemployment and retirement details on their website.
Termination Requirements
Regular terminations (i.e., not due to redundancy) are governed mainly by the Employment Act and must comply with:
If no notice period is provided in the employment contract, the notice period will depend on the length of service as set forth by the Ministry of Manpower termination with notice:
| Length of Service |
Notice Period |
|
Less than 26 weeks |
1 day |
|
26 weeks to less than 2 years |
1 week |
| 2 years to less than 5 years |
2 weeks |
| 5 years or more |
4 weeks |
Redundancies
Redundancies, known as retrenchments in Singapore, are defined as dismissal on the ground of redundancy or by reason of any reorganization of the employer's profession, business, trade or work.
Severance (retrenchment benefit) is not mandated by statute; however, the Tripartite Advisory strongly encourages paying a fair benefit, commonly 2 weeks to 1 month per year of service where no contractual term exists, subject to the business’s circumstances.
Employers may still be required to provide eligible employees with notice or payment in lieu of notice and pay all unused annual leave on the last day of work.
Public and Bank Holidays
The Ministry of Manpower publishes the official list of public holidays which includes an entitlement of 11 days. When planning to hire in Singapore, it's crucial to be aware of the official holidays when employees may not be available for work.
For those employees required to work on a public holiday, they must be provided with an extra day’s salary or a replacement day off.
For more information about public holidays, please visit the Public Holidays for 2026.
