Public holidays in Singapore, 2012

How Singapore public holidays work in 2012

Singapore's Holidays Act in the First Schedule lists eleven public holidays, chosen to balance the city-state's Chinese, Malay and Indian communities. New Year's Day, Labour Day and National Day on 9 August are civic; Chinese New Year (two days), Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Raya Haji, Vesak Day, Deepavali, Good Friday and Christmas Day are religious. The lunar and Islamic-calendar dates are gazetted each year by the Ministry of Manpower. Singapore is among the few countries that gives substitute Monday off when a holiday falls on a Sunday under section 4 of the Holidays Act. There is no separate banking holiday list; the Monetary Authority of Singapore observes the same eleven days.

Working days in Singapore

The Employment Act sets a 44-hour standard working week with at least one rest day per week, typically Sunday. The standard private-sector week is Monday to Friday with banks operating Monday to Friday. The Interpretation Act section 50 rolls statutory deadlines from a Sunday or public holiday to the next day that is not a Sunday or public holiday; Saturday is treated as a working day for substantive deadlines. Settlement of Singapore dollar transactions runs on the MAS Electronic Payment System (MEPS+), which closes on the eleven gazetted holidays. Singapore observes no separate banking calendar.