Work hours, holiday entitlement

[hannahhanj]

Hi,
I was just wondering what the rough standard working hours and holiday is like for expats in Singapore (getting job out there).
I read somewhere 7 days annual leave and 5.5 days a week which seems odd to me.
Any help greatly appreciated!

[Tartan]

Hi,

I think that's possibly the statutory minimum out here but if you're working for a MNC you'll probably find you'll get roughly the same as in blighty; plus there are more public holidays out here than there too.

Cheers

[hannahhanj]

Thanks for getting back to me, what a relief!

[sundaymorningstaple]

A little clarification might be in order here.

"The Employment Act" Cap 91 contains the rules governing the employment laws as pertaining to "workmen" generally earning under $1600/mo or others that are not in any supervisory position or handling confidential information.

It is here that the minimums are set down by the Singapore government of 7 days annual leave with an increment of 1 day additional per year up to 14 maximum as well as the maximum work week of 44 hours (without having to pay overtime).

Anybody who falls outside of these guidelines and in not under a "Union" contract (I use the term loosely in a purely local context as they really don't have the power of a "real" union as we know them), have to negotiate their package before signing their contracts. Unfortunately, even that doesn't protect you as most contracts here also stipulate somewhere hidden in small print that the company can change it as and when it sees fit either by memo, addendum or even verbally. This means it's not really worth the paper is printed on either other than to prove you worked for the company at some point.

You have almost no protection in Singapore if you fall outside the purview of the Employment Act or a Union Contract as the whole government is pro-company biased and for the worker it's Cavet Emptor.

However, a lot of companies start at 10 & 14 days (peons & mgmt) or more and going up to 21 to 28 days normally. Banks and Financial Institutions seem to have the best packages though.

sms

[nowaydude]

It all depends upon your employer. If you are lucky, you might work a reasonable 8-10 hours a day for 5 days a week - if you are disciplined and have a decent employer. Otherwise, working nights and some weekends may happen - locals often get pressured into such.

My line of work, a new employee gets 21 days of holiday leave per year..... it increases to something like 28 days with more service.

Best thing to do is to apply and see what they offer you

[bruinbear]

Depends on which industry you are in also right?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Bruitbear,

Very much so. That exactly why I made a point of saying financial institutions having it pretty good (actually probably the best as far as an industry goes).