Nearly 68% of Singapore firms now offer flexi-care leave for wellbeing and caregiving needs

Nearly seven in 10 private companies in Singapore provided employees with flexible care-related leave arrangements between 2022 and 2024, according to new data released by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Responding to a parliamentary question filed by Lee Hui Ying, the ministry said an average of 67.8% of private companies, or about 10,400 firms annually, offered unplanned time-off that allowed employees to attend to personal matters such as medical appointments and caregiving responsibilities.

The figures, drawn from MOM’s survey of private companies, reflect growing employer recognition of workforce wellbeing and caregiving needs amid evolving workplace expectations.

Beyond flexi-care arrangements, many companies also introduced additional forms of non-statutory leave support during the same period. MOM said around 34.5% of companies, or roughly 5,300 firms, provided paid family care leave beyond statutory requirements.

Meanwhile, 27.9% of companies, representing about 4,600 firms, offered paid sick leave without requiring a medical certificate, while 36.4%, around 5,500 firms, extended additional paid child sick leave benefits to employees.

The data comes as organisations across Singapore continue expanding employee wellbeing and flexibility initiatives to improve retention, employee engagement, and work-life integration in an increasingly competitive labour market.

The ministry did not specify whether adoption rates for such leave policies increased year-on-year, but the findings suggest flexible and wellbeing-oriented leave benefits are becoming more common across the private sector.