Paternity leave is a serious matter for the Government, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said in his Budget 2023 speech.
As such, government-paid paternity leave will now be doubled from two weeks to four weeks, he announced.
This will apply to fathers of Singaporean children born from 1 Jan 2024.
Employers can voluntarily give the two additional weeks, which will then be reimbursed by the government.
This will then be reviewed and the government has plans to make it mandatory “in due course”.
Mr Wong revealed that more than half of fathers take paternity leave, compared to 10 years ago when it was first introduced.
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“Many studies, internationally and in Singapore, have shown that children with more involved fathers have better physical, cognitive and emotional developmental outcomes,” he added.
As such, Mr Wong is heartened by the growing trend.
“I hope the message is clear — we want paternal involvement to be the norm in our society, and we will stand behind all our fathers who want to play a bigger role in raising our children,” Mr Wong said.
Along with more paternity leave, Mr Wong also said that the government is doubling unpaid infant care leave from six to 12 days per parent a year.
This can be taken during the child’s first two years, and applies from 1 Jan 2024.
It’ll give parents more time to bond with and care for their newborn, Mr Wong explained. Otherwise, they can also use this time to make sure that there are caregivers for the child.
The baby bonus has also increased and will take effect today (14 Feb).
Though not all employers may be able to provide four weeks of paternity leave now, there will be an adjustment period before the government makes it mandatory.
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