A bill to amend the Employment Ordinance to increase the number of statutory holidays was gazetted today.

The Employment (Amendment) Bill 2021 seeks to increase progressively the number of statutory holidays, from 12 days by five increments at two-year intervals each until it reaches 17 days on a par with the number of general holidays other than Sundays.

The Labour Department said the five additional statutory holidays should fall on general holidays that are currently not statutory ones and be increased in the sequence of Buddha’s Birthday, the first weekday after Christmas Day, Easter Monday, Good Friday and the day following Good Friday.

The bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on March 17.

Subject to the bill’s smooth passage, the first additional statutory holidays will be designated in 2022 and the alignment of the number of statutory and general holidays will be achieved by 2030, the department added.