Whether you are an employee or employer in Singapore, understanding your employment rights in Singapore under the Employment Act (EA) is essential. This guide provides a clear overview of your legal rights and obligations regarding termination, salary, employee benefits, leave entitlements, and dispute resolution in 2025.

Who is Covered Under the Employment Act?

The EA provides basic terms and conditions for work, for most employees in Singapore. An employee is someone working under a contract of service with an employer. However, the EA typically does not cover:

• Seafarers
• Domestic workers
• Statutory board employees or civil servants

Terminating an Employment Contract in Singapore

Terminating with notice 

Either the employee or employer can choose to terminate the contract at any time by providing notice. The notice period must be the same for both parties and stated in the employment contract. If unspecified, the minimum notice period is as follows. 

If you have worked:

• Less than 26 weeks: 1 day’s notice
• 26 weeks to less than 2 years: 1 week’s notice
• 2 years to less than 5 years: 2 weeks’ notice
• 5 years or more: 4 weeks’ notice

Terminating Without Notice

Contracts can be ended without waiting out the notice period if the other party has been notified. However, notice-in-lieu has to be paid to the other party for the remaining notice period.

Contracts can also end immediately without notice if:

• One party breaches the contract
• The employee is absent for over 2 days without valid reason or informing the employer
• Salary is not paid within 7 days of being due

Immediate Dismissal for Misconduct 

An employer may dismiss an employee without notice for misconduct (after due inquiry).

Instead of dismissal, they may also:

• Demote the employee
• Suspend the employee (without pay) for up to 1 week

*However, employees dismissed unfairly can file a claim for reinstatement or compensation.

Salary and Payment Guidelines Under the Employment Act

Salary Payment Periods:

Employers can set salary periods (e.g. monthly), but they must not exceed 1 month from the last salary payment.

Time of Salary Payment:

• Salary must be paid within 7 days after the end of the salary period.
• Overtime (OT) pay must be paid within 14 days.

On termination, all salary due must be paid on the last day of employment or within 3 days after employment ends.

Deductions: 

Employers cannot make deductions unless allowed by the EA.

Who Gets Extra Protection?

Under Part 4 of the EA, extra protections apply to:

• Workmen earning up to  SGD $4,500/month
• Non-workmen earning up to SGD $2,600/month

These protections include rest days, hours of work, overtime pay, retrenchment and retirement benefits.

Employee Benefits and Leave Entitlements in Singapore (As of 2025)

Statutory Leave:

Employees are entitled to statutory leave such as:

• Maternity & Paternity Leave
• Childcare Leave (including extended childcare leave)
• Sick leave
• National Service leave

Non-Statutory Leave 

Some companies offer discretionary leave such as:

• Birthday leave
• Study/exam leave
• Bereavement leave
• Mental health day
• Sabbatical leave

Government-Paid Parental Benefits: 

• Maternity Leave: Up to 16 weeks
• Paternity Leave: 2 weeks
• Adoption Leave: 12 weeks

Shared Parental Leave: Up to 4 weeks of shared leave with spouse

As an employer in Singapore, it is important to be aware of the statutory leave entitlements that are required, by law, to be given to eligible employees. Non-statutory leaves are given at the company’s discretion.

For employees, it is also essential to understand the statutory leaves you are entitled to. If you wish to be eligible for non-statutory leaves, do remember to review your employment contracts.

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) in Singapore 

Employees can now formally request FWAs under Tripartite Guidelines, including:

• Compressed work schedules
• Flexi-hours or flexi-shifts
• Custom workdays and creative scheduling

Employers must review and respond to these requests fairly.

Need Help or Facing Employment Issues? 

Who to reach out to:

• Ministry of Manpower (MOM): Employment Act (EA) violations, Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA)
• Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM): Advisory, mediation, dispute resolution (e.g. salary issues, wrongful dismissal)
• Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT): If TADM mediation was unsuccessful, ECT resolves matters regarding salary and wrongful dismissal
• Tripartite Mediation Framework (TMF) (NTUC Union): Salary and retrenchment payments/ benefits, employment benefits, breach of contract by employers, wrongful dismissal 
• Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP): Workplace discrimination and/or harassment 

Civil Courts: Work injury compensation, workplace harassment

Need legal guidance?
Contact our experienced employment lawyers for a confidential consultation today.

Part-time employment has been an increasingly popular option in Singapore, allowing for more flexibility while balancing other commitments. The perks don’t stop there! In fact, did you know part-timers are entitled to benefits like paid public holidays, annual leave, and more? Let’s dive into this month’s article to uncover key regulations and entitlements for part-time work in Singapore

What Is Considered Part-Time Work in Singapore?

According to the Employment Act, a part-time employee is one who is contracted to work less than 35 hours a week. Despite their shorter hours, part-time employees are protected by the same labour laws as full-time employees.

What Should Be in Your Part-Time Contract?

A Contract of Service should contain the following key specifications:

• Hourly rate of pay (with and without allowances)
• Number of working hours and days
• Pro-rated benefits and entitlements

Entitlements For Part-Time Employees

Now for the most exciting part, what are part-timers entitled to, and how do they work?

1. Leave entitlements

Although not commonly known, part-timers under Employment Act are qualified for paid annual leave, sick leave, and hospitalisation leave. If conditions are met, there may also be paid maternity, paternity, shared parental, childcare and adoption leave.

How to calculate Annual Leave (AL):

(Part-time working hours per year / Full-time working hours per year) x AL days for Full-time with equal length of service x Working hours in a day for Full-time

Example

Part-time: 20 hours /week

Full-time: 40 hours /week (8 hours /day)

Full-time AL: 14 days /year

((20×52) / (40×52)) x 14 x 8 = Part-timer is entitled to 56 hours of AL per year

Similarly, sick leave and hospitalisation leave are pro-rated in the same way and granted in hours instead of days.

2. Overtime Pay

Part-timers qualify for Overtime (OT) pay when they exceed their contractual working hours. How much you get paid depends on how your hours stack up against those of a full-timer in a similar role.

How it works:

More than contracted hours but less than Full-time hours: Regular hourly basic rate

Exceeding Full-time hours: 1.5x the hourly rate

3. Paid Public Holidays

Part-timers are entitled to paid public holidays (PH), where payment for the day is pro-rated based on the number of hours you work.

How to calculate paid public holidays:

(Part-time working hours per year / Full-time working hours per year) x PH days for a Full-timer with equal length of service x Working hours in a day for Full-timer

Example

Part-time: 20 hours /week

Full-time: 40 hours week (8 hours /day)

1 year: 52 weeks

PH: 11 days /year

((20×52) / (40×52)) x 11 x 8 = 44 hours of pay for 11 public holidays

44 hours / 11 = Part-timer is entitled to 4 hours of pay per public holiday

4. Rest Days

Are you a Part-timer covered under the Part 4 of the Employment Act? If so, this section is for you.

If the part-timer is required to work at least 5 days a week, they are entitled to 1 rest day per week. The rest day will be determined by the employer beforehand.

However, if a part-timer is required to work on a rest day, their pay will depend on:

Employers’ request:

Up to half their regular work hours: 1 day’s salary at basic hourly rate

More than half their regular work hours: 2 day’s salary at basic hourly rate

More than their regular work hours, up to FT work hours: 2 day’s salary + basic hourly rate

More than FT work hours: 2 day’s salary + basic hourly rate + 1.5x basic hourly rate

Employee’s request:

Up to half their regular work hours: 0.5 day’s salary at basic hourly rate

More than half their regular work hours: 1 day’s salary at basic hourly rate

More than their regular work hours, up to FT work hours: 1 day’s salary + basic hourly rate

More than FT work hours: 1 day’s salary + basic hourly rate + 1.5x basic hourly rate

5. CPF contributions

Just like full-timers, part-timers are entitled to CPF contributions from their employers.

CPF contributions are payable if the Part-timer is:

• Singapore Citizen/ Permanent Resident
• Earning more than $50 /month
• Engaged under a contract of service (employer-employee relationship)

Flexibility Without Compromising Rights

Part-time employment in Singapore offers a perfect balance between flexible working arrangements and safeguarding employee rights. Whether you are balancing family responsibilities, furthering your education, or pursuing personal passions, Part-time work provides the adaptability you need without sacrificing benefits or security.

We hope this guide has shed some light on your rights as a Part-time employee and inspires confidence in exploring this flexible career option. For any enquiries on employment contract disputes or drafting, engage our seasoned professionals for legal assistance.

Disclaimer: The content of this article does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on as such. Specific legal advice should be sought for your circumstances.