Singapore’s expanded childcare leave policy could take “at least several months” to come into effect as the government works on legislative changes and employers prepare for the new rules, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah said.
Rajah, who chairs the inter-agency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, made the comments in a CNA938 radio interview, Channel News Asia reported.
"It's going to take at least several months," Rajah said in an interview.
Parents to get up to 12 days of childcare leave
Under the expanded policy announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at last month’s National Day Rally, working parents will receive:
8 days if they have one child aged 12 or below
10 days if they have two children aged 12 or below
12 days if they have three or more children aged 12 or below
The government will cover the cost of the additional leave, with changes planned to the employer-government cost-sharing arrangement.
Employers need time to prepare
Rajah said the policy will require amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Act, as well as updates to employers’ IT systems to track the additional leave.
She said the government also needs to work through operational issues with employers, unions and parents before setting a start date.
"These are the things that have to take place first, and we will announce the start date as soon as we can," Rajah said.
Employers can use government funding to cover colleagues taking on additional work or hire temporary staff. Rajah also pointed to job sharing and flexible work arrangements as ways to manage staff absences.
"For example, the job sharing or flexi work arrangements would be helpful," Rajah said.
Singapore has also expanded parental leave, giving working parents access to up to 30 weeks of government-paid leave.