Scheduling for Weekends and Public Holidays in Singapore

Singapore's 11 public holidays

Singapore has 11 gazetted public holidays, spread across the calendar with notable clusters:

The exact dates of lunar-calculated holidays move each year. Build your roster planning calendar with the gazette dates each year.

Pay rules recap

Under the Singapore Employment Act:

• Every employee covered by the Act is entitled to the 11 PHs as paid days.
• If they work on a PH: gross pay for that day plus an extra day's basic pay (or a day off in lieu).
• If the PH falls on a rest day: the day in lieu is the next working day.
• If the PH falls on a non-working day (e.g. 5-day week worker, Saturday): extra day's basic or day in lieu.

See our detailed OT and PH pay guide for the rules in full.

CNY: the biggest peak

Chinese New Year is the single biggest commercial pattern in Singapore F&B. Three things happen in parallel:

• Massive reunion-dinner peak on CNY eve and through the first few days.
• Family-gathering meals drive larger group bookings for 7-10 days around the holiday.
• Closures by some Chinese-owned outlets as staff return to their hometowns.

For operators that stay open, two scheduling realities matter:

1. You will pay PH rates on 2 days and may pay rest-day rates on adjacent days, depending on workers' shift patterns. Build it into the P&L plan.
2. Local staff who do not celebrate CNY are gold during this period. So are Malaysian workers in some categories. Plan recruitment of CNY cover well in advance.

Hari Raya and Deepavali patterns

Hari Raya Puasa

Sunset before Hari Raya sees big family gatherings; the day itself is calmer at most outlets, but the week before (during fasting) sees evening surges at outlets popular with the Malay/Muslim community for breaking fast.

Deepavali

Little India and surrounding F&B see major surges in the run-up. Pay attention to the date and plan staffing around it.

Cultural sensitivity

Workers who observe these holidays are likely to want them off (or have family commitments). Rostering them onto a PH that matters to their faith is a fast way to lose them. Manage these requests early.

Fair rostering on PHs and weekends

The hard truth: shift workers in Singapore F&B work weekends and PHs. That is the nature of the business. What separates well-run operations:

• Distribute the PH load. Same workers should not work every PH. Rotate.
• Honour religious holiday preferences. A Muslim worker is reasonable to expect off on Hari Raya. A Hindu worker on Deepavali. Plan for it.
• Pay correctly and promptly. PH pay rules in the Act are clear. Get them right and pay them in the next cycle.
• Recognise the effort. A simple message of thanks from the operations director on a PH evening goes further than you would think.
• Plan rest days carefully. A worker doing PH shifts should not also be doing 6 days the rest of the week. Watch weekly hours.

Advance planning

The single biggest mistake we see: planning PH and weekend schedules too late. The right rhythm:

1. 6 weeks out: post the upcoming month's PH and major weekend slots. Ask workers to flag preferences (off / available / preferred).
2. 4 weeks out: draft roster reflecting preferences. Identify gaps.
3. 2-3 weeks out: source cover for gaps. Internal casuals, gig platforms, then agency if needed.
4. 2 weeks out: publish final roster. Confirmations from workers.
5. Week of: standby list ready. Real-time floor view active.

This works for any major weekend or PH cluster. For CNY, push the whole timeline 2-3 weeks earlier because cover demand is hardest there.

Long weekends in Singapore

Some PHs cluster into long weekends. These tend to drive different patterns: more day trips and family outings, weaker weekday lunch in nearby business districts, stronger weekend dinner in residential and tourist areas. Plan your headcount around the actual footfall expected, not just "it's a long weekend, more staff".

Final week before a PH

• All workers confirmed
• Cover sourced for any gaps
• Standby list ready
• Pay calculation cycle aware of the PH
• Roster published with PH rates visible to workers
• Day-in-lieu allocations recorded if applicable