The Labour Department said today that the Birthday of the Buddha was listed as a statutory holiday with effect from this year.

It noted that the number of statutory holidays will be progressively increased to 17 days during the period from 2022 to 2030 in accordance with the Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2021.

All employees covered by the Employment Ordinance, irrespective of their hours of work and length of service, are entitled to statutory holidays.

An employee is further eligible for holiday pay if he or she has been employed under a continuous contract for not less than three months before a statutory holiday, the department said.

The other additional statutory holidays to take effect in sequence will be the first weekday after Christmas Day from 2024, Easter Monday from 2026, Good Friday from 2028, and the day following Good Friday from 2030.

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