The year-end holidays are around the corner, and you might be feeling the festive mood. If you are looking forward to the holidays or planning your next year’s time-off, we’ve got great news for you.
Based on the latest announcement from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), there will be a total of 11 paid public holidays in 2022, and six of these fall on either Monday, Friday or Sunday. This meant that there will be a grand total of 6 long weekends for us in the year 2022 – two more than the previous year 2021.
Singapore public holidays in 2022
First, let’s take a look at the following table for an overview of all the public holidays in 2022. While we are on the topic, it is also worth noting that these dates may be modified as official changes are announced, and it is recommended to check back regularly for updates.
| Public Holiday 2022 | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 Jan 2022 | Saturday |
| Chinese New Year | 1 Feb 2022, 2 Feb 2022 | Tuesday, Wednesday |
| Good Friday* | 15 Apr 2022 | Friday |
| Labour Day* | 1 May 2022 | Sunday |
| Hari Raya Puasa | 3 May 2022 | Tuesday |
| Vesak Day* | 15 May 2022 | Sunday |
| Hari Raya Haji* | 10 Jul 2022 | Sunday |
| National Day | 9 Aug 2022 | Tuesday |
| Deepavali* | 24 Oct 2022 | Monday |
| Christmas Day* | 25 Dec 2022 | Sunday |
* Official Long Weekend
Some public holidays fall on non-working days – Saturday or Sunday for a 5-day work week, and Sunday for a 5.5-day work week. In this case, your employer should give you a day or a half-day off-in-lieu. You can choose to make use of the off-in-lieu immediately or save it for later, which will depend on the decision of your company or employer.
How to make full use of Singapore public holidays 2022
Based on the previous table, you may note that the official national calendar has provided us with a total of 11 public holidays, and a generous amount of 6 long weekends. In order to fully utilise the public holidays, you can further optimise it by strategically timing your annual leave to coincide with the long weekends.
For instance, nine of the holidays will provide you with a long weekend or a longer weekend if you take one day off. These are as follows:
| Public Holiday 2022 | Take 1-Day Leave On | Holiday Duration | Holiday Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year | 31 Jan 2022 (Mon) | 5 Days | 29 Jan – 2 Feb 2022 (Sat to Wed) |
| Good Friday | 18 Apr 2022 (Mon) | 4 Days | 15 Apr – 18 Apr 2022 (Fri to Mon) |
| Labour Day + Hari Raya Puasa | 29 Apr 2022 (Fri) | 5 Days | 29 Apr – 3 May 2022 (Fri to Tue) |
| Vesak Day | 13 May 2022 (Fri) | 4 Days | 13 May – 16 May 2022 (Fri to Mon) |
| Hari Raya Haji | 8 Jul 2022 (Fri) | 4 Days | 8 Jul – 11 Jul 2022 (Fri to Mon) |
| National Day | 8 Aug 2022 (Mon) | 4 Days | 6 Aug – 9 Aug 2022 (Sat to Tue) |
| Deepavali | 21 Oct 2022 (Fri) | 4 Days | 21 Oct – 24 Oct 2022 (Fri to Mon) |
| Christmas Day | 27 Dec 2022 (Tue) | 4 Days | 24 Dec – 27 Dec 2022 (Sat to Tue) |
| Total | 8 Days | 34 Days |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several travel restrictions are still applicable this year. However, if your employer allows for leave days carry-over, then you can bring them over to 2022 and add them to the public holidays. This would allow you to have a longer time off and more holiday breaks.
Now, let’s have a look at the public holidays month by month and see how you can organise your annual leaves to maximise your vacation period.
Plan a 9-day no work schedule in December 2021
We are currently at december 2021, and the next upcoming holiday will be on 25 December 2021, Christmas day. While this is technically not next year, you can get about 9 to 10-day long break if you tie it with the 2022 New Year’s Day.
This is ideal if you are unable to or do not intend to carry forward your current year’s annual leaves to the next. By taking a 5-day leave from Monday 27th to Friday 31st December 2021, you will have a total of 9 no-work-days.
Additionally, if you are on a 5-day work week, you will be able to get 10 no-work-days, just by taking 4 days of leave.
| Type of Work Week | Take Leave (s) On | Holiday Period |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5-day work week | 27 Dec – 31 Dec 2021 (5 Days) | 25 Dec 2021 – 2 Jan 2022 (9 Days) |
| 5-day work week | 28 Dec – 31 Dec 2021 (4 Days) | 25 Dec 2021 – 3 Jan 2022 (10 Days) |
Public holidays during the Chinese New Year (February)
The next public holidays will be on 1st and 2nd of February which essentially forms the Chinese New Year (CNY), and these two dates fall on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
To further maximise the CNY holidays, here’s what you need to do:
Get 5-day holiday break using 1 day of leave
- 29 Jan 2022 (Sat): Weekend
- 30 Jan 2022 (Sun): Weekend
- 31 Jan 2022 (Mon): Take 1-Day Leave
- 1 Feb 2022 (Tue): Chinese New Year Day 1
- 2 Feb 2022 (Wed): Chinese New Year Day 2
Alternatively, you may also opt for 3-day annual leave option (31 Jan, 3 Feb, 4 Feb 2022) to have a 9-day holiday break.
Public holidays in April to October 2022
During the period of April to October, there are a total of 4 long weekends from the official calendar, and you may also extend your holidays by adding 1-day annual leaves strategically.
April (4-day long weekend)
In April, Good Friday will be on Friday the 15th, and this presents us with a 3-day long weekend. Need more? Add 1 Day leave on 18 Apr 2022 (Monday) to get a 4-day long weekend!
May (5-day long weekend)
There will be 3 public holidays in May (Labour Day, Hari Raya Puasa, and Vesak Day), and 2 official long weekends. Our recommendation? Combine the power combo Labour Day and Hari Raya Puasa by adding 1 day before the labour day. Take leave on 29th April to have a supercharged 5-day long weekend!
Other than this, you can take a 1-day leave on 13th May (Friday) to get a 4-day long weekend, with 15th being Vesak Day and 16th as an off-in-lieu day for Vesak Day.
July (4-day long weekend)
Hari Raya Haji will happen on Sunday, 10 July 2022, and it will entitle us with 3 day of long weekend officially. Additionally, you can opt for 1 day annual leave on 8th July (Friday) to get a 4-day off.
August (4-day long weekend)
National Day 2022 will fall on tuesday 9 August and it is ideal that you may choose to take a day off on Monday 8 August to enjoy a 4-day long weekend.
October (4-day long weekend)
Deepavali will be on 24th October (Monday), and if you take 1-day off on 21st October (Friday), you will be able to get a 4-day long weekend.
December 2022 public holidays (10 off-days)
The period between Christmas and New Year’s Day can give you 10 days of leave, if you take 4 days leave from 27th December (Tuesday) to 30th December (Friday). You can use your Christmas off-in-lieu on 26th December 2022 (Monday) and New Year’s off-in-lieu on 2nd January 2023. This will get you a total of 10 off-days.
