More leave for parents, more work for the rest? Childcare leave boost sparks workplace debate

SINGAPORE, 26 AUGUST 2026 —

While broadly supportive of Singapore's push to boost fertility, some child-free workers worry that extended childcare leave and short-notice absences will leave them with less time for their own families.

Most of the time, he does not mind that the two colleagues in his team of five take time off work to attend to their children, especially when their absences were planned for and the tasks are properly delegated. But when they take childcare leave at short notice, Adam, who is unmarried, often finds himself reshuffling his own leave plans or shouldering additional work.

So when Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced at this year’s National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 23) that a new childcare leave scheme will give more time off to working parents, he felt conflicted as he was generally supportive of moves to address Singapore’s falling fertility problem.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less “I work in a small company. If colleagues with children in my team are getting extended leave, more workload falls onto the people who do not have kids,” he said.

“I thought that the amount of leave they had was already quite substantial. I was taken aback when I heard they were increasing it.” Under the new scheme, each parent will get eight days off if they have one child, 10 days if they have two children, and 12 days if they have three or more children.

This is up from the current six days off a year if the parent has a child aged six and below, or two days a year if the child is between seven and 12 years old. Adam’s mixed feelings about the expansion of childcare leave were echoed by others.

CNA spoke to 10 people who were either single, married without children or have children above the age of 12, to understand how those who do not benefit directly from the childcare leave changes felt. Like Adam, many were broadly supportive that the changes give parents the support they needed, but were worried that they could end up shouldering more work when their colleagues were away.

While those in bigger organisations said the impact would be minimal given that there is enough manpower to spread the burden, those in smaller firms are unsure that the work can be shared fairly. Several also pointed out that short-notice childcare leave already causes staffing issues in leaner workplaces. Some worried that this could cause resentment between employees who are parents and non-parents.

The increase in childcare leave also gave rise to questions about fairness, as those interviewed felt that similar benefits could be extended to workers who provide care for elderly family members. Asked about these concerns on CNA’s Talking Point on Monday, Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Health Rahayu Mahzam said they were “legitimate” issues.

Working as a lawyer before entering politics, Mdm Rahayu said she had also experienced the difficulties of shouldering the workload when her colleagues were on leave. “Which is why we then need to manage the different stakeholders.

And the government has always been doing this in collaboration with employers, with workers, with unions to try and come up with a middle ground that is workable." She added that the government is not just in discussion with stakeholders about childcare leave, but flexible work arrangements and better manpower policies as well. That means there is a need for proper human resources policies and conversations about supporting parents, she said.

“We are trying to encourage and nudge a culture where the whole society comes together and appreciates that we all may have different needs.” Apart from the move to increase childcare leave, the government announced that it will also reimburse employers for the costs of the full duration of statutory child-related leave, up to a limit of S$2,500 (US$1,967) a week.

CNA previously reported that businesses welcomed the government's move to fully cover childcare leave costs, but some pointed to lingering questions over how to plug staffing gaps during absences. To workers, this means that not all workplaces are staffed sufficiently to spread the workload fairly. Mr David Lim, who is unmarried, acknowledged that more childcare leave for parents could mean more work for him, but said the move was necessary.

“At some point, the government has to do something to encourage people to have more children. Of course people will think it’s unfair, but they have to accept that it has to be done,” said the 31-year-old who works in a larger employer within the shipping industry.

While he has not had any “clashes” with colleagues over childcare leave, Mr Lim said he has seen how employees with children sometimes have to take leave at short notice because of illnesses or other unexpected needs. Such absences can put a strain on day-to-day operations, especially when they coincide with leave already planned by other employees.

With the possibility of several people away at the same time, it could mean a heavier workload for the rest. “If I put in a long week of leave, but their kid falls sick, the team might be short-staffed,” he said. Mr Lim highlighted another concern that employees may not be comfortable using the leave they were entitled to. “Some people might question why you’re always on leave,” he said.

“How many people actually dare to take it?” Chairman of the Families for Life Council Keith Magnus said leave on paper only makes a difference if parents feel able to use it without worrying that it will set back their careers.

Related: Singapore