Adoption of Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs by Employers Since its Introduction

28 Assoc Prof Walter Theseira asked the Minister for Manpower since the introduction of the Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs (a) how many employers have adopted the Standard; and (b) what is the utilisation rate of the unpaid leave among eligible employees.

Mrs Josephine Teo: The Tripartite Standard on Unpaid Leave for Unexpected Care Needs was introduced in March 2018. As of end June 2019, about 700 employers with 242,000 workers have adopted the Standard.

We collect data on the utilisation of paid leave rather than unpaid leave. This is because employees are more likely to utilise their paid leave first before considering unpaid leave to minimise loss of income. We will consider the need to also collect data on unpaid leave in future.