Johor to change weekend back to Saturday & Sunday in 2025

Johor's official weekend days will be reverting to Saturday and Sunday.

The change will come into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, announced Johor regent Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on Oct. 7.

Ismail wrote in a Facebook post:

"Following the consent and blessing from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and after considering the views of the Johor Islamic Religious Council (JAINJ), I would like to announce that starting Jan 1 2025, Johor's weekend will be changed to Saturday and Sunday."

Reason for adjustment

To the people living in Johor, Fridays and Saturdays have been their rest days since January 2014.

The decree was made by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar at the time to allow Muslims to perform their Friday prayers.

However, the weekend days will be changed back to Saturday and Sunday in light of complaints from the public.

"I understand that having different rest days has brought a rather huge impact to the people. Other than affecting the development of the economic sector, the difference means that parents and children do not get to spend enough time together," wrote a Johor Jaya assemblyman in 2022.

That year, the Johor government announced that it was reviewing the Friday and Saturday rest days.

Shortly after the announcement, Malay Mail reported a possibility of a two-and-a-half-day weekend — with people taking a half-day off on Friday and resting two full days on Saturday and Sunday.

According to Malay Mail, the government's latest decision to abide by a Saturday-Sunday weekend was also made to align the public's weekend with that of the federal government.

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Top images via Google Maps and HRH Crown Prince of Johor/Facebook