Singapore’s parental leave policies foster a family-friendly workforce

Singapore is set to implement enhanced parental leave policies aimed at supporting working parents and promoting greater involvement from fathers in childcare. Starting from April 2025, the new regulations will introduce an additional 10 weeks of shared parental leave, bringing the total government-paid leave to 30 weeks by April 2026. This initiative also includes mandatory two weeks of paternity leave from April 2025, addressing the current low take-up rate and encouraging a more balanced sharing of childcare responsibilities.

The upcoming changes reflect the government’s commitment to building a more family-friendly environment. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, during his National Day Rally speech, emphasised the need to shift traditional gender roles, where fathers are viewed as the primary breadwinners and mothers as the main caregivers. He said, “Women these days have every opportunity to excel in their careers. It’s not possible for them to pursue their goals and still carry a heavier share of the caregiving and housework responsibilities. So fathers must play a bigger role.”

READ MORE: Singapore unveils expanded parental leave and jobseeker support scheme

This move by Singapore is part of a broader global trend towards increasing parental leave provisions. For instance, Japan has seen a significant rise in paternity leave uptake, reaching a record high of 30% as of October 2023. This increase follows new regulations requiring organisations to confirm employees’ intentions to take leave and efforts to raise awareness about the paternity leave system.

On the business front, Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director of the Singapore National Employers Federation, noted that organisations that effectively support their employees’ family and career aspirations will likely see benefits in talent attraction and retention. “Employers that are able to better support their employees’ career and family aspirations will also find themselves in a better position to attract and retain talent,” he said, reported The Straits Times.

As the conversation around these changes continues, we encourage you to share your views on how these new parental leave policies might impact the workplace. Head over to our LinkedIn poll to join the discussion.