Singapore's 2022 public holidays: 5 long weekends in store

Update: Refer to the revised list of public holidays here, where new dates of Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji were announced on 21 October 2021.

The Ministry of Manpower yesterday announced the dates of the 11 gazetted public holidays for 2022.

They are as follows: 

• New Year’s Day
  • 1 January 2022 (Saturday)
• Chinese New Year
  • 1 February 2022 (Tuesday)
  • 2 February 2022 (Wednesday) 
• Good Friday
  • 15 April 2022 (Friday)
• Labour Day
  • 1 May 2022 (Sunday)
    * Tuesday, 3 May 2022, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 1 May 2022.
• Hari Raya Puasa
  • 2 May 2022 (Monday)
• Vesak Day
  • 15 May 2022 (Sunday)
    * Monday, 16 May 2022, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 15 May 2022.
• Hari Raya Haji
  • 9 July 2022 (Saturday)
• National Day
  • 9 August 2022 (Tuesday)
• Deepavali
  • 24 October 2022 (Monday)
• Christmas Day
  • 25 December 2022 (Sunday)
    * Monday, 26 December 2022, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 25 December 2022.

Add them to your calendar here.

5 long weekends in 2022

With one holiday falling on a Friday, two on Monday, and three on Sunday, employees can expect to see five long weekends in 2022, as follows: 

1. Good Friday
   • 15 April 2022 (Friday) to 17 April 2022 (Sunday)
2. Labour Day to Hari Raya Puasa
   • 30 April (Saturday) to 3 May 2022 (Tuesday)
     * Tuesday, 3 May 2022, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 1 May 2022.
3. Vesak Day
   • 14 May 2022 (Saturday) to 16 May 2022 (Monday)
     * Monday, 16 May 2022, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 15 May 2022.
4. Deepavali
   • 22 October 2022 (Saturday) to 24 October 2022 (Monday)
5. Christmas Day
   • 24 December 2022 (Saturday) 26 December 2022 (Monday)
     * Monday, 26 December 2022, will be a public holiday if your rest day falls on 25 December 2022.

Employers should note that according to the Employment Act: 

• Employees are entitled to 11 paid public holidays a year.
• If employees are required to work on a public holiday, by default, employers should pay employees an extra day’s salary. Alternatively, by mutual agreement, the following should be provided: 
  • A public holiday in lieu.
  • Time off in lieu (only for employees not covered under Part IV of Employment Act).
• The extra day's salary should be at the basic rate of pay.
  • An employee's monthly gross salary already includes payment for the holiday, so employers only need to pay an additional day’s salary.
• If employees are absent without reason on the working day before or after the holiday, they are not entitled to the holiday pay. Employers can therefore deduct one day’s pay at the gross rate from the employee's monthly gross salary. 
• If the holiday falls on a rest day, the next working day will be a paid holiday.
• If employees are on a 5-day work week, Saturday would be considered a non-working day. 
  • For a public holiday that falls on a Saturday, they should get either a day off or salary in lieu.
• Employees are entitled to their gross rate of pay on a public holiday, if:
  • They were not absent on the working day immediately before or after a holiday without consent or a reasonable excuse.
  • They are not on authorised leave (e.g. sick leave, annual leave, unpaid leave) on the day immediately before or after a holiday.
• Employees are not entitled to holiday pay if the holiday falls on their approved unpaid leave.
• For employees not covered under the Employment Act, additional days off or extra salary in lieu should be given according to the terms of their employment contract.
• If an employee is not covered under Part IV of Employment Act, employers can grant them time off in lieu for working on a public holiday. The time off should consist of a mutually agreed number of hours.
• If there is no mutual agreement on the duration of time off in lieu, the 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 on a holiday, grant time off in lieu of 4 hours on a working day.
  • For working more than 4 hours on a holiday, grant a full day off on a working day.