Parliamentary Reply by Minister Indranee Rajah on Increasing Childcare Leave

FOURTEENTH PARLIAMENT OF SINGAPORE

WRITTEN REPLY 

TUESDAY, 6 AUGUST 2024

Mr Edward Chia Bing Hui:

To ask the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance whether the Ministry will consider increasing the current allocation of six days of childcare leave per calendar year, in light of the Government’s efforts to support parents and encourage higher birth rates.

Ms Indranee Rajah (for the Prime Minister):

We recognise that many parents with young children require support in managing their work and caregiving responsibilities. We have therefore progressively increased parental leave provisions over the years. The most recent enhancement was implemented on 1 January 2024, when Government-Paid Paternity Leave was doubled from two to four weeks on a voluntary basis, and Unpaid Infant Care Leave from six to 12 days per parent per year in their child’s first two years. We are presently studying how to strengthen parental leave support for those with infants who typically have high care needs. 

In considering any enhancement to leave provisions, we need to strike a balance between supporting the needs of parents and the impact on employers’ manpower and operational requirements. Therefore, beyond legislated leave provisions, we also encourage other sustainable ways that support parents in juggling work and caregiving commitments, such as flexible work arrangements (FWAs). The Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests will take effect from 1 December 2024. The mandatory Guidelines will enable employers and employees to have open discussions and work out arrangements that can meet both parties’ needs and constraints.

 It is also critical for our workplaces to have a family-friendly culture, where parents are supported in tapping on these measures when required.  We encourage employers, supervisors, and colleagues, to play their part by being supportive of working parents who take time off or use FWAs to care for their children. We will also continue to work with Tripartite Partners and community partners to foster societal and workplace norms that embrace families.