Working parents to get 10 weeks new shared parental leave, additional paternity leave to be mandatory: PM Wong

Eligible working parents of Singaporean children will soon get more parental leave.

The slew of additional measures was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the 2024 National Day Rally on Aug. 18.

They include:

• More paternity leave
• New Shared Parental Leave (SPL) scheme

Once fully implemented, the changes will bring the total amount of parental leave between both parents to 30 weeks, or 7.5 months, PM Wong said.

The new SPL scheme will cost the government an estimated S$400 million per year, said a spokesperson from the National Population and Talent Division (NPTD).

More paternity leave

In last year’s Budget statement, then-Deputy Prime Minister Wong announced that the government would double the amount of government-paid paternity leave, from two weeks to four weeks.

While the additional two weeks was given on a voluntary basis to give employers time to adjust, it would be made mandatory “in due course”, he said at the time.

At the rally, PM Wong announced a date for the mandate: Apr. 1, 2025.

From then, the additional two weeks will be made mandatory for all eligible working fathers with Singaporean children, bringing the total amount of government-paid paternity leave to four weeks.

The traditional view of the roles of fathers and mothers has to change, said PM Wong.

“I think some of us still believe that fathers should be the exclusive breadwinners, and mothers the main caregivers,” he said.

“That has to change. Women these days have every opportunity to excel in their careers…so fathers must play a bigger role.”

New Shared Parental Leave scheme

In addition, the current SPL scheme will cease from Apr. 1, 2025 and be replaced with a new one.

This new SPL scheme comprises 10 weeks of paid parental leave, to be shared between both parents.

Under the current scheme, working mothers can share up to four weeks of her 16 weeks’ government-paid maternity leave with her husband.

However, it is “not so ideal”, as fathers taking more leave will result in the mothers getting less, said PM Wong.

The new scheme will be implemented in two phases, to allow employers time to manage the manpower impact, PM Wong explained.

Under the first phase, to be implemented on Apr. 1, 2025, eligible working parents of Singaporean children born on or after Apr. 1, 2025 will be entitled to six weeks’ of shared parental leave.

Under the second phase, to be implemented on Apr.1, 2026, eligible working parents of Singaporean children born on or after Apr. 1, 2026 will be entitled to 10 weeks’ of shared parental leave.

The leave should be used within the first 12 months of the child's birth.

Furthermore, to encourage sharing between both parents, shared parental leave will be distributed equally between both parents by default — in other words, 3 weeks per parent in phase 1, and 5 weeks per parent in phase 2, said the NPTD.

This can also be reallocated depending on the caregiving arrangement best suited to their families' needs. If necessary, the full 10 weeks can be allocated to either one of the parents as well.

Under this new SPL scheme, eligible parents can get a total of 30 weeks of paid leave between them.

“I hope this move will go some way in reassuring young couples,” PM Wong said.

“We are building a Singapore made for families; and we will help you keep a good balance between your working and parenting responsibilities.”

He added that unlike in some countries where parental leave might be at reduced pay, or even unpaid, all 10 weeks will be fully paid by the government.

This is up to the prevailing cap of about S$10,000 a month.

For working parents with irregular employment arrangements, such as short-term contract workers, the government will also introduce another scheme, according to the NPTD.

Dubbed the Shared Parental Leave Benefit (SPB) scheme, eligible working parents can claim reimbursement from the government for time off taken from work to care for their infants. This is on top of the new SPL.

"So go forth! Embrace your journey of marriage and parenthood!" PM Wong said.

Even more support

Aside from parental leave, the government has also introduced various measures to create a more family-family environment in Singapore, PM Wong said.

For instance, it has greatly expanded the number of preschool places over the last decade, and introduced fee caps for lower-income families.

“We will continue to update our policies to keep preschool affordable and convenient,” PM Wong said.

Finally, to encourage married couples who want to have bigger families, a new scheme for large families is also in the works.

As part of that initiative, the government will provide more support for those thinking about having a third child, as well as more help to those who already have three or more young children.

“We are still working out the details of the scheme, and I hope to share the good news at the Budget next year,” he concluded.

Top image from PMO/YouTube and MDDI