Paid Annual Leave

An employee is entitled to 7 days' annual leave with pay after serving every period of 12 months under a continuous contract. Entitlement of paid annual leave will increase progressively to a maximum of 14 days according to the length of service of the employee.

Employment contract is not allowed to have any terms to forego all or any of the employee's annual leave entitlement, including payment of wages in lieu of any annual leave days. However, the law allows an employee to choose to accept payment in lieu of that part of his leave entitlement which exceeds 10 days.

An employee is entitled to pro-rata annual leave pay on completion of 3 months but less than 12 months' service in a leave year if his employment contract is terminated unless the employee is dismissed by summary dismissal

Sickness Allowance

An employee employed under a continuous contract is entitled to sickness allowance if:

the sick leave taken is not less than four consecutive days (unless for any day off taken by a female employee for her pregnancy check-ups, post confinement medical treatment or miscarriage, any such day on which she is absent shall be counted as a sickness day and, subject to the following conditions, be paid sickness allowance);

the sick leave is supported by an appropriate medical certificate*(regarding an employee’s medical examination in relation to her pregnancy, the employee may also produce a certificate of attendance** apart from a medical certificate); and

the employee has accumulated sufficient number of paid sickness day

Paid sickness days are accumulated at the rate of two paid sickness days for each completed month of the employee's employment during the first 12 months, and four paid sickness days for each completed month of employment thereafter. Paid sickness days can be accumulated throughout the whole employment period, but shall not exceed 120 days at any one time.

Employer is not allowed to terminate the contract of an employee on his paid sickness day except in cases of summary dismissal due to serious misconduct.

Maternity Leave

An employee is eligible for 14 weeks’ paid maternity leave if she has been employed under a continuous contract for not less than 40 weeks immediately before the commencement of scheduled maternity leave.

In case the length of employment service under a continuous contract is less than 40 weeks immediately before the commencement of scheduled maternity leave, the employee is eligible for 14 weeks’ maternity leave without pay if the employee has given notice of pregnancy and her intention to take maternity leave to her employer after the pregnancy has been confirmed.

Paternity Leave

Male employee employed under continuous contract is entitled to 5 days paternity leave for each confinement of his spouse if he is the father of a new-born child or a father-to-be.

An eligible male employee may take paternity leave at any time during the period from 4 weeks before the expected date of delivery of his child to 14 weeks beginning on the actual date of delivery of his child. He may take all 5 days of paternity leave in one go or on separate days.

Wages

"Wages" means all remuneration, earnings, allowances, tips and service charges, however designated or calculated, payable to an employee in respect of work done or work to be done. Allowances including travelling allowances, attendance allowances, commission and overtime pay are within the definition of wages.

Employer must pay wage above the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) to any employee. Effective from 1 May 2019, the SMW rate is $37.5 per hour.

Wages is due to be paid to employee on the last day of the wage period. Employer should pay wages as soon as practicable, but in any case not later than 7 days after the end of wage period. Employer is required to pay interest on the outstanding amount if he fails to pay wages with 7 days when it becomes due. Wages can be paid to employee by cash, cheque, bank transfer, etc.

Employee’s portion of the MPF contribution can be deducted from the wages payable to the employee.