[Hong Kong] Proposal for 5 further statutory holidays by 2030

[Hong Kong] Proposal for 5 further statutory holidays by 2030
19 Apr 2021

Hong Kong’s government has gazetted a bill to grant its citizens an extra five days of public holidays, to be phased in by 2030, Hong Kong Free Press reports.

The bill was published on March 5, it will gradually increase the annual number of statutory holidays from the present from the 12 days of the present to 17 by 2030. These public holidays are in addition to any annual leave which employers already grant of their own volition.

The government currently lists seventeen general holidays but employers are only required by law to allow workers to take 12 of them, known as statutory holidays. In the past workers in many blue-collar jobs have reportedly only enjoyed the benefit of 12 days.

The new law will grant one extra statutory holiday every two years from 2022 in the following order: the Birthday of the Buddha, the first weekday after Christmas Day, Easter Monday, Good Friday and the day following Good Friday.

“Subject to smooth passage of the bill, the first additional statutory holiday will be designated in 2022 and the alignment of the number of statutory holidays and general holidays will be achieved by 2030,” a Labour Department spokesperson said.

The bill will be introduced in the Legislative Council on March 17.

Source: Hong Kong Free Press

Hong Kong’s government has gazetted a bill to grant its citizens an extra five days of public holidays, to be phased in by 2030, Hong Kong Free Press reports.

The bill was published on March 5, it will gradually increase the annual number of statutory holidays from the present from the 12 days of the present to 17 by 2030. These public holidays are in addition to any annual leave which employers already grant of their own volition.

The government currently lists seventeen general holidays but employers are only required by law to allow workers to take 12 of them, known as statutory holidays. In the past workers in many blue-collar jobs have reportedly only enjoyed the benefit of 12 days.

The new law will grant one extra statutory holiday every two years from 2022 in the following order: the Birthday of the Buddha, the first weekday after Christmas Day, Easter Monday, Good Friday and the day following Good Friday.

“Subject to smooth passage of the bill, the first additional statutory holiday will be designated in 2022 and the alignment of the number of statutory holidays and general holidays will be achieved by 2030,” a Labour Department spokesperson said.

The bill will be introduced in the Legislative Council on March 17.

Source: Hong Kong Free Press

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