Bill to amend Child Development Co-Savings Act 2001 to provide for enhanced paternity leave and new shared parental leave passed

28 November 2024

On 13 November 2024, the Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament. The Bill seeks to amend the Child Development Co-Savings Act 2001 (“CDCA”) to provide for enhanced Government-Paid Paternity Leave (“GPPL”) and a new Shared Parental Leave (“SPL”) scheme, among other changes. These changes were first announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the 2024 National Day Rally.

A summary of the key changes arising under the Bill is set out below:

  • GPPL: Currently, fathers are entitled to two weeks of GPPL and may take
    an additional two weeks if their employers’ provide the additional leave.
    From 1 April 2025, the additional two weeks will be made mandatory, that is, eligible fathers of Singaporean children born on or after 1 April 2025 will be entitled to four weeks of mandatory GPPL.
  • SPL: The new SPL scheme will replace the current scheme and will allow parents of children born on or after 1 April 2025 to share up to 10 weeks of paid leave. The new SPL scheme will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, eligible working parents of children who are Singapore citizens (“SC”) and who are born on or after 1 April 2025 will be entitled to six weeks of SPL. In the second phase, eligible working parents of SC children born on or after 1 April 2026 will be entitled to 10 weeks of SPL.
  • New notice period requirement before consuming parental leave: Employees planning to take government-paid maternity leave, GPPL, adoption leave (“AL”), and the new SPL will be required to provide their employers a minimum of four weeks’ notice before taking parental leave so as to give employers time to make the necessary arrangements. Employers and employees may mutually agree to a shorter notice period.
  • Stronger employment protection for parents on leave: Currently, it is unlawful for an employer to dismiss or give a notice of dismissal to a female employee on maternity leave. From 1 April 2025, this protection will be extended to fathers and adoptive parents, making it unlawful for employers to dismiss or give a notice of dismissal to employees on GPPL or AL.

Reference materials

The following materials are available on Singapore Statutes Online sso.agc.gov.sg and the Ministry of Social and Family Development website www.msf.gov.sg: