Govt Proposes Five More Statutory Holidays By 2030

The government has laid out a nine-year-plan to increase the number of statutory holidays from 12 to 17, starting with the addition of Buddha’s Birthday next year.

But employee representatives in the Labour Advisory Board have slammed the plan as being far too slow, saying the entire process should instead be shortened to a three-year span.

Authorities are proposing to add one additional holiday every two years. Following Buddha’s birthday, which usually falls in May, the government is looking to designate the first weekday after Christmas Day as a statutory holiday in 2024, followed by Easter Monday, Good Friday, and the day after Good Friday in two-year increments.

That means the process would end in 2030.

The initiative is aimed at equalising the number of statutory holidays that all workers are entitled to, with bank holidays that most white-collar workers already have off.

In papers submitted to the Legislative Council, the government said the change would benefit around 1.2 million workers, representing around 40 per cent of the workforce.

It estimates that each extra holiday would cost local employers HK$630 million, but said the change would strike a balance between the interests of employers and employees.

Lawmakers are scheduled to hold a meeting next Tuesday to discuss the matter.