| Key Takeaways | |
| Starting annual leave runs from none to 5.6 weeks. The United States sets no federal minimum, Singapore and Hong Kong start at 7 days, the United Kingdom requires 5.6 weeks and France five weeks, and Taiwan's special leave reaches 30 days after 24 years. | |
| Public holidays in 2026: England and Wales have 8 bank holidays, Singapore 11, Hong Kong 15 statutory holidays, Taiwan 16 national holidays for workers, and Indonesia 17 national holidays plus 8 days of collective leave. | |
| Recent holiday changes affect four Asian markets. Hong Kong added Easter Monday, Vietnam added Vietnam Culture Day on November 24, South Korea made Labor Day and Constitution Day public holidays, and Taiwan's 2025 holiday law raised workers' national holidays to 16. | |
| Employees do not always use their full annual leave. Workers at Japanese companies with 30 or more regular employees took 12.1 of their 18.1 days in 2024, a record 66.9%, and Taiwan’s 2025 survey found that 32.0% of all respondents had unused leave from 2024. | |
| Paid days off are not guaranteed on every holiday. Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands do not require private employers to give most public holidays as paid days off. | |
In This Guide
Your 2026 payroll calendar depends on two numbers in every country you hire in: the leave each employee is owed and the holidays the law makes paid days off. Both are set by law in most markets, and both change. Using the wrong figure can lead to incorrect leave balances, holiday pay, or staffing plans.
How much annual leave do employees get by country? Starting minimums range from none in the United States to 5.6 weeks in the United Kingdom and five weeks in France, with most Asian markets starting at 5 to 15 days after a year's service and rising with service. Public holidays add 8 days in England and Wales, 11 in Singapore, and 16 in Taiwan in 2026, and in several countries the employer chooses which holidays to give.
We checked each figure against the statute, the government's 2026 holiday list, or the official survey it comes from, in October 2026. South Korea's 2026 holiday count is our own tally from the government's holiday regulation.
These are the statutory minimums for eligible full-time employees, subject to the service requirements shown. Day counts use local working-week conventions; five-day equivalents are stated where relevant. Canada’s figures cover federally regulated employment only.
| Country | Minimum paid annual leave | How it grows with service |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 7 days for a full first year; eligible after 3 months, prorated for partial years | Plus 1 day a year, to 14 days from year 8 |
| Hong Kong | 7 days after 12 months under a continuous contract | To 14 days from year 9 |
| Taiwan | 3 days after 6 months; 7 days after 1 year | 10 at 2 years, 14 at 3, 15 at 5, then 1 more a year after 10 years, to 30 |
| Malaysia | 8 days (under 2 years' service) | 12 days from 2 to 5 years, 16 days from 5 years |
| Vietnam | 12 working days per year; prorated for service under 12 months | Plus 1 day every 5 years; 14 days for minors, workers with disabilities, and heavy or hazardous work, 16 for especially heavy or hazardous work |
| Mainland China | 5 days (1 to under 10 years of cumulative work) | 10 days from 10 to under 20 years, 15 days from 20 years |
| Japan | 10 days after 6 months, with 80% attendance | To 20 days at 6.5 years |
| South Korea | 1 day per fully attended month in the first year; 15 days after 1 year with 80% attendance, at workplaces regularly employing at least 5 employees | Plus 1 day every 2 years from year 3, to 25 |
| Philippines | 5 days after 1 year, called service incentive leave (not required at establishments with fewer than 10 employees, or where 5 days' paid vacation is already given) | No statutory increase |
| Indonesia | 12 working days after 12 months | No statutory increase |
| Thailand | 6 working days after 1 year | No statutory increase |
| United States | None under federal law | Set by employer policy or state law |
| United Kingdom | 5.6 weeks (28 days on a 5-day week), which can include bank holidays | Flat |
| Germany | 24 working days on a 6-day week, equivalent to 20 on a 5-day week | Flat |
| France | 5 weeks a year, earned at 2.5 days a month (30 days counted on a 6-day week, or 25 on a 5-day week) | Flat |
| Netherlands | 4 times the weekly working days, or 20 days on a 5-day week | Flat |
| Canada (federal jurisdiction) | 2 weeks after 1 year | 3 weeks after 5 years, 4 weeks after 10 |
| European Union minimum | 4 weeks a year | Flat |
Taiwan's Labor Standards Act calls statutory annual leave special leave. Malaysia's figures come from the Employment Act 1955, which covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan; Sabah and Sarawak have their own labor ordinances.
Most markets raise the minimum with service. At five years, Taiwan's minimum is 15 days and Malaysia's 16, against a 14-day ceiling in Singapore and Hong Kong. South Korea grants 15 days after one year, with monthly accrual during the first year, and Japan reaches 20 days at six and a half years.
Holiday counts are not the same as paid days off. Some countries give covered private employees every holiday as a paid day off, some let the employer choose from a list, and some leave it to contracts. Remember to not add these counts to annual leave without checking for overlap.
| Country | Public holidays in 2026 | Paid day off for private employees? |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 11 | Yes, under the Employment Act |
| Hong Kong | 15 statutory holidays (17 general holidays) | Yes, for statutory holidays; holiday pay after at least 3 months under a continuous contract |
| Taiwan | 16 national holiday days for workers | Yes |
| Malaysia | At least 11 paid gazetted holidays, 5 of them compulsory | Yes, for holidays required under the Employment Act |
| Vietnam | 12, including Vietnam Culture Day | Yes, at full pay |
| Mainland China | 13 statutory days, in 7 breaks totaling 33 days off including weekends | Yes |
| Japan | 16 national holidays, plus a substitute holiday and a bridge holiday | Not required by statute |
| South Korea | 18 designated days plus 4 substitute days (our count) | Yes, at workplaces regularly employing at least 5 employees |
| Philippines | 12 regular holidays and 8 special non-working days | Regular holidays are paid for covered employees; retail and service establishments regularly employing fewer than 10 workers are exempt. Special non-working days generally follow the “no work, no pay” rule. |
| Indonesia | 17 national holidays, plus 8 days of collective leave | National holidays yes; collective leave is optional and counts as annual leave |
| Thailand | At least 13 traditional holidays, including National Labor Day, selected by the employer | Yes |
| United States | 11 federal holidays | No; federal holidays bind federal employees |
| United Kingdom | 8 bank holidays in England and Wales, 10 in Scotland, 10 in Northern Ireland | No; they can count toward the 5.6 weeks |
| Germany | Set by each state; Bavaria has 12 statewide, more in some municipalities | Yes |
| France | 11 | Only May 1 is a compulsory day off |
| Netherlands | 11 holiday days, three of them on a weekend | No; set by collective agreement or contract |
| Canada (federal jurisdiction) | 10 general holidays | Yes |
A substitute day is a day off given when a holiday falls on a rest day, and a bridge holiday is a single working day between two holidays that becomes a holiday itself. In Hong Kong, statutory holidays are the ones every employee is entitled to, while general holidays are the government's full list. Malaysia's gazetted holidays are those published in the government gazette, and the Philippines pays regular holidays and special non-working days under different rules. For the calendar and employer requirements, see our guide to Hong Kong public holidays in 2026.
South Korea's count includes the June 3 local election day and excludes ordinary Sundays. The 18 designated holiday dates plus substitute days on March 2, May 25, August 17, and October 5 give 22 calendar dates in total. Scotland's 10 includes a one-off bank holiday on June 15, 2026.
Japan's Labor Standards Act requires only one rest day a week, so whether the 16 national holidays are days off depends on each employer's work rules. In the United Kingdom, the government states that employers do not have to give paid leave on bank holidays, the UK's public holidays, and an employer can choose to count them toward the 5.6-week minimum.
Recent changes shape the 2026 holiday calendar in four Asian markets.
Mainland China's change came a year earlier. The 2024 revision of the national holiday rules raised statutory holidays from 11 to 13 days from 2025, adding Lunar New Year's Eve to Spring Festival (now 4 days) and May 2 to Labor Day (now 2 days). It also directs that, except in special cases, the official make-up working days should leave people working no more than six days in a row around a holiday break.
Statutory minimums are only the floor. The surveys below measure different years and populations, so they are not a direct country ranking.
Japan's 2025 General Survey on Working Conditions covers private companies with 30 or more regular employees. Workers were granted 18.1 days of annual paid leave on average in 2024 and took 12.1, a take-up rate of 66.9%, the highest since 1984. The government's target is 70% by 2028.
Take-up rises with company size, from 64.9% at companies with 30 to 99 employees to 69.0% at those with 1,000 or more. Beyond the legal minimum, 60.3% of companies offer additional types of leave such as summer or refresh leave, and 40.8% have a system for scheduling part of employees' annual leave in advance.
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower report, Conditions of Employment 2024, covers full-time employees at private establishments with at least 25 employees and in the public sector, as of June 2024. It found that 55.0% were entitled to 14 days of annual leave or fewer, 33.3% to 15 to 21 days, and 11.8% to more than 21 days, or about 45% with more than 14 days.
Of rank-and-file employees, 79.0% get 14 days or fewer, against 28.4% of managers and executives. In the private financial and insurance sector, 61.0% get more than 21 days.
Taiwan's Ministry of Labor surveyed 4,029 insured Taiwanese employees in 2025 about their 2024 leave. In the weighted results, 84.9% had special leave; 52.9% of all respondents used all of it, while 32.0% had unused leave.
The most common reason for leaving leave unused, cited by 17.8% of all employees surveyed, was that unused days are paid out. And 45.1% said their employer's main policy is to pay out unused leave in the same year, with no carry-forward.
There is no federal paid-vacation mandate, but state or local paid-leave laws may supplement employer policies. In March 2026, 80% of private industry workers had access to paid vacation and 81% to paid holidays.
Among private industry workers with paid vacation benefits, average entitlements in March 2026 were 11 days after 1 year of service, 16 after 5 years, 18 after 10, and 20 after 20. Workers with paid holiday benefits averaged 8 holidays a year in March 2025.
Substitute days, make-up working days, and collective leave each change which days you work and pay for.
When a holiday falls on a rest day, most Asian markets move it.
A make-up working day is a weekend day employees work in return for a weekday off, which lets the government join a holiday to a weekend. Mainland China's 2026 arrangements give 7 breaks totaling 33 days off including weekends, among them a 9-day Spring Festival break from February 15 to 23, and 6 make-up working days. Taiwan's government calendar abolished make-up working days for civil servants from 2026.
In Vietnam, private employers choose how to place the 5 statutory Tet days around the Lunar New Year and must announce the plan at least 30 days ahead.
Cuti bersama, or collective leave, is a set of extra days off the Indonesian government designates around national holidays. The 2026 joint ministerial decree sets 17 national holidays plus 8 of these days. In 2023, Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower said collective leave is optional and forms part of workers' annual leave, and we found no later statement that changes this, so you need a written policy on whether to observe it and deduct it from annual leave.
Our guides to APAC public holiday payroll and holiday compliance in global payroll cover how these affect pay runs.
As an Employer of Record (EOR), we become the legal employer of your team in each country, so every employee's leave and holidays follow local law and payroll reflects them:
Every client has a named account manager from day one. We employ through our own entities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and mainland China, and support hiring and payroll in more than 150 countries. See our Employer of Record and Global Payroll services for the full scope.
This comparison does not establish a global ranking. South Korea has 22 designated and substitute holiday dates in 2026, excluding ordinary Sundays. Indonesia lists 17 national holidays plus 8 collective leave days, while the Philippines has 12 regular holidays and 8 special non-working days. These categories differ in private-sector pay and leave treatment.
The United Kingdom has the highest flat minimum of the countries we compared, 5.6 weeks (28 days on a five-day week), though employers can count bank holidays toward it. France follows with five weeks, earned at 2.5 days a month. With long service, Taiwan's special leave reaches 30 days after 24 years.
Singapore has 11 public holidays in 2026. June 1, August 10, and November 9 are public holidays for employees whose rest day falls on the Sunday holiday before them, and staff on a five-day week are owed another day off or an extra day's salary for Hari Raya Puasa on Saturday, March 21.
Hong Kong has 15 statutory holidays in 2026, after Easter Monday was added. The number rises to 16 in 2028 and 17 in 2030.
Not under federal law. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for vacations or holidays, but state or local paid-leave laws may apply. In March 2026, 80% of private industry workers had access to paid vacation.
Not by statute. Whether national holidays are days off is set in each employer's work rules, because the Labor Standards Act itself requires only one rest day a week.
We do, for employees employed through us. We set up each employee's statutory leave, run each country's 2026 holidays and substitute days through payroll, and pay holiday premiums under local rules. Book a call with our team to map the leave calendar for your hires.
Sources
Singapore: Ministry of Manpower, annual leave entitlement; Ministry of Manpower, public holidays; Ministry of Manpower, public holiday entitlement and pay; Ministry of Manpower: Conditions of Employment 2024, Table B4.
Hong Kong: Labour Department, Concise Guide to the Employment Ordinance, Chapter 4; Labour Department, Statutory Holidays for 2026; Hong Kong government, general holidays for 2026.
Taiwan: Taiwan Labor Standards Act; Taiwan Ministry of Labor, national holidays and substitute days; Taiwan Enforcement Act for Memorial Days and Festivals; Taiwan Directorate-General of Personnel Administration, 2026 government calendar; Taiwan Ministry of Labor, 2025 Survey on Employees' Working and Living Conditions.
Malaysia: Malaysia Employment Act 1955.
Vietnam: Vietnam Labor Code, Official Gazette reprint; Vietnam National Assembly Resolution 28/2026/QH16; Vietnam government portal, 2026 Tet and National Day arrangements.
Mainland China: China State Council, revised national holiday rules; Shanghai Government: Holidays and Vacations; State Council: China’s Public Holidays for 2026; State Council 2026 Holiday Notice, Beijing Government Reprint.
Japan: Japan Cabinet Office, national holidays; Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 2025 General Survey on Working Conditions; Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, annual leave promotion month; JETRO: Working Hours, Days Off, and Annual Paid Leave.
South Korea: Korea Labor Standards Act, Article 60; Korea Ministry of Personnel Management, public holiday system; Korea Ministry of Personnel Management, Labor Day and Constitution Day; Korea Ministry of Employment and Labor, Labor Day; Korea Legislation Research Institute: Labor Standards Act, Articles 55 and 60 (English translation); National Law Information Center: Labor Standards Act, Article 55.
Philippines: Philippines Proclamation No. 1006, s. 2025; Philippines Proclamation No. 1189, s. 2026; Philippines Proclamation No. 1264, s. 2026; Department of Labor and Employment: Handbook on Workers’ Statutory Monetary Benefits, Holiday Pay and Service Incentive Leave.
Indonesia: Indonesia Ministry of Manpower, 2026 national holidays and collective leave; Indonesia Law 6/2023 on Job Creation; Ministry of Manpower: 2026 National Holidays and Collective Leave, Joint Ministerial Decree.
Thailand: Thailand Ministry of Labour, labor protection.
United States: US Department of Labor, vacation leave; US Office of Personnel Management, federal holidays; US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits, March 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics, vacation days by length of service, March 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics, paid leave in 2025; Illinois Department of Labor: Paid Leave for All Workers Act FAQs.
United Kingdom: GOV.UK, holiday entitlement; GOV.UK, bank holidays.
Germany: German Federal Leave Act, Section 3; German Working Hours Act, Section 9; German Continued Remuneration Act, Section 2; Bavarian Public Holidays Act; Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: Terms and Conditions of Employment.
France: Service-Public, paid leave; Service-Public, public holidays.
Netherlands: Business.gov.nl, holiday entitlement; Government of the Netherlands: Official Public Holidays in 2026 and 2027.
Canada: Canada Labour Code; Government of Canada, federal vacations and holidays.
European Union: European Commission, Working Time Directive.
Slasify: Slasify Employer of Record; Slasify Global Payroll.
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