Government also mandates employers offer full four-week paternity leave
Working parents in Singapore will be entitled to 10 additional weeks of Shared Parental Leave under the government's latest measure to enhance the country's leave benefits.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during the National Day Rally on Sunday that the 10 government-paid weeks of parental leave can be taken by either fathers or mothers.
"In other words, fathers have four weeks, mothers have 16 weeks. On top of that, both have 10 weeks to share between them," Wong said in his speech.
"That is 30 weeks, or about 7.5 months, of paid leave, which parents can take to spend time with their children."
Implementation of the 10-week Shared Parental Leave will begin with six weeks for babies born from April 1, 2025, before increasing to the full 10 weeks a year later.
"This is a big change. We have engaged employers and they have asked us for some time to adjust to it," Wong explained on the phased approach.
The Shared Parental Leave scheme replaces Singapore's current policy that allows fathers to "share" up to four weeks of their wife's maternity leave.
"In other words, if the fathers take more, the mothers end up with less. I think that is not so ideal," Wong said. "So, we will replace this arrangement with a new Shared Parental Leave."
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Mandating four-week paternity leave
Meanwhile, Wong also announced that they are mandating employers to offer four weeks of paternity leave to improve uptake among fathers starting April next year.
The mandate comes after the government doubled the paternity leave from two weeks to four weeks this year but left employers to decide if they will offer the additional two weeks on a voluntary basis.
"From 1 April next year, we will make this mandatory. That means if fathers apply for leave, employers must agree," Wong said.
The prime minister said this is a "further push" for fathers to take their parental leave benefits, noting that more than half of fathers are already using their leave entitlements.
"I hope all fathers make good use of the four weeks to spend quality time with your babies," Wong said.
Upcoming scheme for bigger families
In his speech, the prime minister further hinted on a new, upcoming scheme for large families. Wong said the upcoming initiative will provide more support for those thinking about having a third child, as well as offer help to parents who already have three or more young children.
According to the prime minister, they recognise parents' concerns about the increasing demands on resources and finances as their children grow up.
"We will do something to help you," Wong said. "We are still working out the details of the scheme, and I hope to share the good news in the Budget next year."