Malaysia
Capital
Kuala Lumpur
Currency
Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)
Date format
dd/mm/yyyy
Region
APAC
Minimum holiday entitlement
8
Paid public holidays per year
11
Additional leave compliance rules and complexities
Annual leave
Annual leave entitlement in Malaysia depends on the employee’s length of service. They get 8 days’ paid leave a year for their first 2 years in a role. This extends to 12 days per year once they’ve been in the role for more than 2 years, and 16 days a year once they’ve been in the role for more than 5 years. As well as 6 compulsory public holidays, Malaysia has 10 optional public holidays. Most employers observe all 10 of these, but as the holidays are optional, it’s not unusual for the customs to vary from business to business.
Sick leave
Sick leave varies depending on the length of service. For the first two years in a role, employees get up to 14 days’ sick leave each year. This extends to 18 days per year once they’ve been in the role for 2 years, and 22 days per year once they’ve been in the role for 5 years.
Maternity and paternity leave
Mothers can take at least 90 days’ maternity leave on full pay so long as they’ve been in the role for four months, though there are no provisions for paternity leave or shared parental leave.