Singapore to have six public holiday long weekends in 2026
The six long weekends in 2026 will be an increase compared with previous years - four in 2025 and five in 2024.- ST
SINGAPORE: Singaporeans will be able to enjoy six long weekends in 2026, according to a list of gazetted public holidays released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on June 16.
There are 11 public holidays in 2026, starting with New Year's Day, which falls on a Thursday.
Good Friday on April 3 will mark the first public holiday long weekend of the year. Labour Day (May 1) and Christmas Day (Dec 25) will also fall on a Friday.
As Vesak Day (May 31), National Day (Aug 9) and Deepavali (Nov 8) will fall on Sundays, the following Mondays will be designated public holidays.
The other holidays are Chinese New Year on Feb 17 and 18 (Tuesday and Wednesday), Hari Raya Puasa on March 21 (Saturday) and Hari Raya Haji on May 27 (Wednesday).
The six long weekends in 2026 will be an increase compared with previous years - four in 2025 and five in 2024.
MOM said that under the Employment Act, employees are entitled to pay during the 11 public holidays.
However, employers and employees may mutually agree to substitute a public holiday for another working day.
Employees who are required to work on a public holiday are entitled to an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay, in addition to their gross rate of pay for that day.
Employers also have the option of granting time-off-in-lieu, based on an agreed number of hours for working on a public holiday.
This applies to workmen earning more than S$4,500 a month, non-workmen earning more than $2,600 a month, as well as managers and executives. - The Straits Times/ANN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
China offers to be peacemaker in Iran-Israel war, but is unlikely to intervene
BEIJING (The Straits Times/ANN): As the conflict between Israel and Iran stretches beyond a week, China has found itself sidelined in developments that could yet have far-reaching consequences for its interests in the Middle East. While Beijing has offered itself as a peacemaker, it is unlikely to wade into the conflict directly, or to supply arms to Iran, say analysts. This is because it wants to avoid confronting the United States, for which military intervention against Iran remains a real possibility. Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 19, said China is willing to continue to strengthen communication with all parties and 'play a constructive role in restoring peace in the Middle East'. Hours later, US President Donald Trump effectively gave Iran two weeks to return to the negotiating table to discuss the future of its nuclear programme, by saying he would decide whether the US would attack Iran in that timeframe. With Iran seriously weakened by the latest hostilities – its top military commanders have been killed, and key nuclear facilities damaged – observers believe the initiative remains with Israel and the US. At stake for China is energy imports. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil. Iran has also threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran and Oman and is a major route for oil and gas shipments from the Gulf states to China, including from Saudi Arabia, China's biggest supplier of crude after Russia. Even so, beyond issuing diplomatic statements, China is unlikely to intervene, said analysts. While some have touted China's growing influence in the Middle East, particularly after it brokered a landmark normalisation deal between archrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, it has little appetite to be embroiled in the region's conflicts. Associate Professor Jonathan Fulton, an expert in China's relations with the Middle East, said China's interests in the Middle East are primarily economic, noting also that it buys much more oil from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman than Iran. 'When China looks at Iran, I think they see a partner of limited economic value,' he said. 'They also see a country that, through its proxies or its own aggressive behaviour, has destabilised a lot of the Middle East.' Another major reason for China's inaction is that it does not want to antagonise the US, said Prof Fulton, who is non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a US think-tank. 'Much like the logic with Ukraine – if China gives weapons to Russia and Russia uses them to attack Ukraine, this is going to provoke Nato and make China an enemy in the eyes of countries that it wants to have good economic and political relations with,' he added. Chinese officials have repeatedly called for a ceasefire since Israel began a major offensive against Iran on June 12 to cripple Tehran's ability to develop nuclear weapons, seen by Israel as a threat to its security. Since that first salvo, there have been tit-for-tat air strikes between the two countries, an ongoing conflict that could yet lead to the overthrow of the leaders of the Islamic republic. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has suggested through phone calls to his counterparts in the Middle East – Iran and Israel, as well as Egypt and Oman which are involved in mediation efforts – that China is willing to coordinate with regional countries for peace. Dr Clemens Chay, a research fellow from the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore, said: 'Beyond the perfunctory statements and calls by Chinese officials, it is unlikely Beijing will stick its hand in – certainly not militarily – in the ongoing tit-for-tat strikes between Iran and Israel.' Given that China has energy interests in the region, including in Iranian oil, the logical approach for it would be to call for de-escalation, he said. 'But to deploy its forces will be too much of an ask.' Dr Andrea Ghiselli, a lecturer in international politics at the University of Exeter who focuses on Chinese foreign policy in the Middle East, said Mr Wang's phone calls should be read as a way for China to get a better read of the situation. China is probably seeking to understand how regional powers and countries like Russia are preparing for a possible collapse of the regime in Iran and the consequent emergence of Israel as a regional hegemon, said Dr Ghiselli, who also heads research at the ChinaMed Project of the Torino World Affairs Institute, an Italian think-tank. A possible regime change in Iran – which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said could happen, even if his government does not aim to bring it about – would also not likely be welcomed by China, not least because the next leadership may be less predictable. Dr Gedaliah Afterman of Reichman University in Israel said a quick collapse of the regime or power vacuum would threaten China's investments, infrastructure and strategic access across the region. 'Beijing prefers continuity and predictability, particularly given Iran's current economic dependence on China,' he added. He said the best-case scenario for China is a swift de-escalation that avoids direct US-Iran confrontation, preserves the existing regional order in which Beijing feels increasingly comfortable, and enables it to continue balancing relations with Iran, the Gulf and Israel. 'China may also seek to present itself as playing a role in any renewed nuclear agreement, even if only symbolically, especially if this comes at the expense of US influence in the region,' said Dr Afterman. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network
Barnama
7 days ago
- Barnama
Top News Headlines In Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore & Vietnam: June 17, 2025
Indonesian officials and activists have pushed back against recent remarks by Culture Minister Fadli Zon suggesting the mass rapes during the May 1998 riots were merely 'rumors', saying such comments risk erasing painful historical truths and marginalising victims. The government currently sees no need to send another delegation to the United States for the negotiations on tariffs as it believes it has made its case for open bilateral trade and says the ball is now in the US' court. 2. RI SEES NO NEED TO SEND TEAM FOR US TRADE TALKS -- THE JAKARTA POST The Lao media industry has undergone a rapid transformation, from analogue to digital broadcasting. Online media platforms have changed the way content is disseminated and consumed among the public. Laos has 86 radio stations, 49 television stations and 116 print media outlets. 2. HARNESSING PRIVATE INVESTMENT FOR GROWTH -- VIENTIANE TIMES The International Finance Corporation and the government is working to enhance the Public-Private Partnerships legal framework to make the business environment attractive. This will help in welcoming private sector investment to promote sustainable economic growth and job creation. MYANMAR 1. APRIL-MAY FISH EXPORTS HIT RM200 MILLION -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR About 43,600 metric tonnes of fish worth RM200 million (US$48 million) were exported in April-May this year. Myanmar earned over RM1.8 billion (U$421 million) from about 400,000 metric tonnes of fish exports in the 2024-2025 financial year. 2. MODERNISING FOOTWEAR PRODUCTION FOR EXPORTS -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR Myanmar's footwear manufacturers are striving to transform the sector into an export-oriented business. Producers are exploring modernising production, expanding domestic and foreign markets and utilising local raw materials. Nearly 85 per cent of inputs are locally produced. SINGAPORE 1. SINGAPORE AIMS TO RAMP UP AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE USE TO BOOST PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK -- THE STRAITS TIMES Singapore is poised to make a big push for self-driving vehicles to be deployed across the island in the next five years, to strengthen the public transport network. 2. SINGAPORE TO HAVE 'MANY' AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES IN FIVE YEARS: ACTING TRANSPORT MINISTER JEFFREY SIOW -- CNA Singaporeans can expect to see "many" autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the roads in five years, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. VIETNAM 1. DRIVING TOWARDS ZERO EMISSIONS ON ROADS BY 2050 -- VIETNAM NEWS A new draft regulation on car emissions standards has been introduced by the government to reduce carbon pollution and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The goal is for clean fuel distribution to achieve the nation's environmental goals. 2. ANIMAL VACCINATION YET TO MEET NATIONAL TARGET -- VIETNAM NEWS Animal disease vaccination funded by the state budget fell short in the first half of this year. Vaccination coverage for African swine fever, avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease failed to reach the mandated national targets. -- BERNAMA BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies. Follow us on social media : Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio Twitter : @ @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial TikTok : @bernamaofficial
The Star
16-06-2025
- The Star
Singapore to have six public holiday long weekends in 2026
The six long weekends in 2026 will be an increase compared with previous years - four in 2025 and five in 2024.- ST SINGAPORE: Singaporeans will be able to enjoy six long weekends in 2026, according to a list of gazetted public holidays released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on June 16. There are 11 public holidays in 2026, starting with New Year's Day, which falls on a Thursday. Good Friday on April 3 will mark the first public holiday long weekend of the year. Labour Day (May 1) and Christmas Day (Dec 25) will also fall on a Friday. As Vesak Day (May 31), National Day (Aug 9) and Deepavali (Nov 8) will fall on Sundays, the following Mondays will be designated public holidays. The other holidays are Chinese New Year on Feb 17 and 18 (Tuesday and Wednesday), Hari Raya Puasa on March 21 (Saturday) and Hari Raya Haji on May 27 (Wednesday). The six long weekends in 2026 will be an increase compared with previous years - four in 2025 and five in 2024. MOM said that under the Employment Act, employees are entitled to pay during the 11 public holidays. However, employers and employees may mutually agree to substitute a public holiday for another working day. Employees who are required to work on a public holiday are entitled to an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay, in addition to their gross rate of pay for that day. Employers also have the option of granting time-off-in-lieu, based on an agreed number of hours for working on a public holiday. This applies to workmen earning more than S$4,500 a month, non-workmen earning more than $2,600 a month, as well as managers and executives. - The Straits Times/ANN
