Singapore employees are making the most of their paid time off, topping the Asia-Pacific region for annual leave usage in 2025, according to new data from global HR platform Deel.
The analysis, based on more than 4,500 full-time workers across APAC, found that 57% of Singapore employees used all of their entitled annual leave during the year. A further 77% used at least 80% of their allocation, the highest rates recorded among the markets surveyed, as covered in multiple media reports.
More days off
Singapore workers also took the most vacation leave overall, recording a median of 19 days off during the year.
That placed them ahead of Hong Kong (16.5 days), Australia (16 days), Indonesia and Malaysia (15.5 days each), and South Korea (15 days).
Interestingly, the median leave entitlement in Singapore stood at 18 days, suggesting some employees extended their time off by carrying forward unused leave from previous years.
Flexible advantage
The data highlighted a clear difference between leave policies.
Employees on flexible leave arrangements in Singapore took a median of 20.75 days off, compared with 19 days for those on fixed entitlement schemes.
A similar trend was seen across most APAC markets, with Indonesia the only exception.
Longer breaks
Singapore workers were also more likely to take holidays lasting four days or longer.
By contrast, employees in Hong Kong showed a preference for shorter two-day breaks.
Despite these differences, one-day leave requests remained the most common type of absence across all markets surveyed.
Wellbeing focus
Lauren Thomas, an economist at Deel, said the findings reflected a workplace culture where employees feel able to take meaningful breaks.
“In Singapore, we see that when people have both access and permission, they actually use their leave — and they use it in ways that help them properly switch off,” said Lauren Thomas, an economist at Deel.
She said organisations should factor leave usage into workforce planning and employee wellbeing strategies.
“The companies that treat time off as a strategic lever, and not just an admin line item, are the ones that will be better placed to keep people healthy and businesses running smoothly,” Ms Thomas added.
Not a Workforce snapshot
Deel noted that the findings are based on internal platform data and are not intended to represent national workforces.
The study covered full-time employees across several APAC markets, including Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The results nevertheless point to a growing willingness among Singapore workers to use their annual leave, particularly for longer breaks that allow them to disconnect from work and recharge.