Public holidays play a crucial role in shaping a company’s culture. These designated days off represent more than just breaks from the regular work routine; they are important in fostering a balanced and inclusive workplace.
Recognizing and appropriately managing public holidays is an essential part of HR functions, contributing to employee well-being, morale and legal compliance. As we welcome the new year, HR professionals need to keep track of the 2024 public holidays Singapore as it affects work schedules, payroll, leave management, and overall business productivity.
This comprehensive 2024 Public Holidays Singapore guide will provide you with important information on Singapore’s gazetted public holidays, and employee entitlements during these dates.
The 2024 Public Holidays Singapore List
Singapore, being a nation rich in diverse cultures and religions, celebrates 11 public holidays annually. Here are the list of 2024 public holidays Singapore:
Public Holiday Entitlements in Singapore
According to the Ministry of Manpower, employees under the Employment Act are entitled to paid public holidays each year.
Typically, public holidays are considered a rest day for employees. However, if they are required to work on a public holiday, special regulations apply. Here are some common scenarios and rules when it comes to entitlements for 2024 public holidays Singapore:
Do employees get paid for working on public holidays?
In the case where an employee is required to work on 2024 public holidays Singapore employers should pay an extra day’s pay on top of their monthly gross salary. Employers will also need to pay overtime for work that’s done beyond the normal working hours.
Employees are entitled to gross rate of pay for working on public holidays, if they are:
- not absent on the working day before or after the holiday without consent or reasonable excuse, or;
- on authorized leave (e.g. sick leave, annual leave) on the day immediately before or after a holiday.
Employees are not entitled to holiday pay if it falls on their approved unpaid leave date.
For example,
If employees are on approved unpaid leave on 30 April 2024, they will still be entitled to a paid public holiday on 1 May 2024.
If employees are on approved unpaid leave from 30 April to 3 May 2024, they will not be entitled for a paid public holiday on 1 May 2024.
What happens if a public holiday falls on a rest day or a non-working day?
Before we dive into the entitlements, let’s get to know the differences between rest days and non-working days.
In Singapore, a rest day is a day, as defined in the employment contract, where employees are entitled to at least 24 hours of continuous rest. A non-working day, however, is any day when employees are not required to work, but it may not necessarily be aligned with their designated rest day.
For example, if you are on a 5-day work week, Saturday would be considered a non-working day, and Sunday would be your rest day.
As stated in the Employment Act, when a public holiday falls on a non-working day, employees covered by the Act are eligible for either an extra day off or an additional day’s salary in lieu of the public holiday, calculated at the gross rate of pay.
If the 2024 public holidays Singapore falls on a rest day (Sunday), the following working day (Monday) will be a paid public holiday. An example of this is Monday, 12 February 2024 being a replacement public holiday for Chinese New Year holiday that falls on Sunday, 11 February 2024.
In summary, if the public holiday falls on:
Non-working day (Saturday), employees should get either a day off or salary in lieu.
Rest day (Sunday), the next working day will be a paid public holiday.
What if an employee is not covered under the Employment Act?
In Singapore, the Employment Act does not cover all employees. The Act excludes a specific groups of employees, and some include:
- Managers and executives
- Seafarers
- Domestic workers
- Statutory board employees
- Part-time employees
- Temporary employees
It is important to note that while the Employment Act may not cover these specific groups, alternative regulations or employment agreements may apply to ensure their rights and welfare are protected. Employers should be aware of the specific employment regulations that apply to their workforce, especially when it comes to 2024 public holidays Singapore leave and pay entitlements.
Are employees entitled to public holiday in lieu?
If employees work on a public holiday, both the employer and employee can come to a mutual agreement to substitute a public holiday for another working day.
If employees are not covered by the Employment Act, employers can grant time off in lieu for working on a public holiday. The time off however, should consist of a mutually agreed number of hours.
In the instance that no mutual agreement is made, employer can decide on one of the following:
- Pay an extra day’s salary at the basic rate of pay for one day’s work.
- For working 4 hours or less, grant time off in lieu of 4 hours on a working day.
- For working more than 4 hours, grant a full day off on a working day.
Managing Leave and Public Holiday Pay with Omni
Managing leave and 2024 public holidays Singapore is crucial at the workplace. Employers should communicate holiday schedules early, ensuring enough coverage during peak employee absence periods. Clear rules on holiday pay and time-off requests, especially during festive times, contribute to fair time off management and payroll practices.
Omni’s time off management capabilities empower managers and HR teams to swiftly navigate employee leave applications. Our platform allows you to approve leave applications on the go and keep track of who’s in and out of the office with at-a-glance scheduling.
Our employee self-service portal enables employees to submit their time off requests, which automatically routes to the appropriate manager thanks to customizable approval workflows. Automated calculations offer real-time leave balance visibility without the need for HR intervention.
For public holiday entitlements, Omni’s comprehensive payroll solution integrates seamlessly with leave management. Supporting SGD and offering automated public holiday pay, tax calculations, and managed CPF contributions, Omni simplifies payroll processing while ensuring compliance.
Choose Omni to effortlessly manage your 2024 public holidays Singapore leave and entitlements, tailored to meet your evolving business needs. Book a demo with our team today to learn more.
