It is not uncommon to have both parents working in a family globally. While mothers receive their fair share of maternity leave to recuperate and to take care of their newborn, dads are also given a couple of days off to spend precious time with family. As it turns out, paid paternity leave is becoming a highly sought-after benefit for employees all over the world.
Here’s a look at the state of paternity leave within Asia:
China: Up to 14 days - dependent on where the father is registered for social security and the age of the mother.
Hong Kong: 5 days (as of 18 January 2019) - the daily rate of paternity leave pay is a sum equivalent to 80% of their usual pay rate. Expectant fathers must give three months’ notice to their employers before they take their leave
Taiwan: 5 days - Employees are also entitled to parental leave without pay if the employee has worked for the employer for at least six months + the child has not reached three years of age + the employee's spouse is employed.
Malaysia: 2 days – for the birth of their own child up to five surviving children.
Singapore: 14 days (as of 1 January 2017), applicable to working fathers (including both employees and self-employed) in Singapore, funded by the Singaporean Government. And in November 2017, Aviva Singapore launched a 16-weeks paid parental leave program to their full-time employees; something for other Singapore-based companies to consider.
Just before you overly excited, check out the following countries with very generous paternity leave policies:
Sweden – 90 days of paternity leave and a further 390 days that can be shared between parents
Denmark – 14 days off during the first 14 weeks after a child’s birth, and from that point, parents can split an additional 32 weeks’ leave
Spain – 28 days fully paid by social security
Slovenia – 90 days paternity leave
Although the paternity leave policies in Asia are considered low compared to some of the European/Scandinavian countries, you should not feel short-changed. There are still many countries that have yet to adopt any official paternity leave policy. However, there is an increasing focus on work-life balance and having a good paternity leave policy in place may be the “carrot” for talent retention.
