With the recent release of the public holiday dates for 2027, some of us might be making plans for future trips.
Even if you have a limited number of leave days in a year, fret not. With some strategic planning, you can maximise them to get 41 days of holiday time with just 16 days of annual leave.
There will be a total of 11 public holidays next year, with five opportunities that can be stretched to make the most of one’s annual leave.
The first opportunity allows you to start the year right, thanks to Christmas Day 2026 and New Year’s Day 2027 both falling on a Friday. This means taking four days of leave from Dec 28 to Dec 31 this year would allow for a ten-day holiday from Dec 25 to Jan 3.
An option for a nine-day trip would be to “bridge” the Hari Raya Haji (Monday, May 17) and Vesak Day (Thursday, May 20) public holidays by just taking three days of leave on May 18, 19 and 21.
People in Singapore can also stretch their Chinese New Year break from a three-day long weekend (Feb 6 to 8) to a nine-day holiday if they take Feb 9 to 12 off.
As the first two days of CNY fall on Saturday and Sunday in 2027, only the Monday following is deemed a public holiday, based on regulations. However, some companies do practice offering additional compensatory leave to be used during the festive period.
One can also choose to extend their Hari Raya Puasa (Wednesday, March 10) celebrations by taking leave on March 8 and 9 or March 11 and 12, for a five-day break either way. The option to take all four days for a nine-day holiday is also there.
Meanwhile, Deepavali (Oct 28) falls on a Thursday in 2027. Taking a day off on Oct 29 will be a popular choice for a four-day getaway.
It is also important to note that there are three public holidays which fall on Saturdays in 2027 — Chinese New Year (Feb 6), Labour Day (May 1) and Christmas (Dec 25).
According to the Employment Act, should a public holiday fall on a Saturday that is not a working day for the employee, the employer is not required to give the employee a day off in lieu on the following Monday.
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