In Brunei Darussalam, the Employment Order of 2009 governs the rules and regulations surrounding vacation leave, also known as annual leave.

Entitlement

For the first 12 months of continuous service with the same employer, employees are entitled to 7 days of paid annual leave. For each subsequent 12 months of continuous service, an additional day of annual leave is added. This increment continues until it reaches a maximum of 14 days per year.

Scheduling

The employer and employee should mutually agree upon the scheduling of the vacation leave. As per the Employment Order 2009, employees are required to take their annual leave within 12 months of the end of the qualifying service year. Any leave not taken within this period will be forfeited.

Additional Considerations

Employees with shorter service periods are entitled to pro-rata annual leave, calculated proportionately to their completed months of service. In case of employment termination, employees are entitled to payment for any accrued but untaken annual leave.

In Brunei Darussalam, there are several national public holidays that are observed throughout the year. These include:

• New Year's Day on January 1st
• Chinese New Year with variable dates in January or February, celebrated for two days
• National Day on February 23rd
• Isra' Mi'raj with a variable date according to the Islamic calendar
• Hari Raya Aidilfitri with variable dates according to the Islamic calendar, marking the end of Ramadan with two or three days of celebration
• Anniversary of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces on May 31st
• His Majesty the Sultan's Birthday on July 15th
• Hari Raya Aidiladha with a variable date according to the Islamic calendar, also known as Hari Raya Haji, celebrated for two or three days
• First Day of Hijrah (Islamic New Year) with a variable date according to the Islamic calendar
• Prophet Muhammad's Birthday with a variable date according to the Islamic calendar
• Christmas Day on December 25th

Additional Information

The dates of several holidays in Brunei Darussalam follow the Islamic calendar and therefore vary from year to year. Additionally, some holidays might be observed for multiple days.

In the workforce, there are several types of leave that employees can avail of. These include annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, and rest days. Each type of leave has its own set of rules and entitlements.

Annual Leave

Employees are entitled to 7 days of annual leave for the first year of service. This increases by one day per year up to a maximum of 14 days. The scheduling of this leave is by mutual agreement between the employer and employee.

Sick Leave

Employees are entitled to 14 days of paid sick leave per year. If required, an additional 60 days of paid hospitalization leave can be availed. To justify their absence, employees must provide a medical certificate.

Maternity Leave

Female employees who have worked for at least 180 days are entitled to 15 consecutive weeks of paid maternity leave. The first 8 weeks are fully paid by the employer. The government may help subsidize the following 5 weeks, with employers providing an advance and then seeking reimbursement. The final 2 weeks are unpaid.

Paternity Leave

There is no statutory entitlement to paternity leave. However, some employers may offer it as a benefit.

Rest Days

Employees are entitled to one rest day per week, typically on Sunday.

Other Potential Leave Types

Bereavement Leave

Some companies may offer compassionate leave in the event of the death of a family member.

Religious Observances

Employees may be able to take leave for important religious observances, depending on company policy.