Annual Leave, Sick Leave and Working Hours: Singapore vs Italy

Leave is where Singapore managers notice the difference fastest. A Singapore hire on Employment Act minimums starts with 7 days’ annual leave after three months. An Italian hire starts with four weeks from day one, and the CCNL usually adds more. This guide compares annual leave, sick leave, public holidays and working hours.

Annual leave  

Singapore. Under the Employment Act, an employee is entitled to paid annual leave after three months of service. The minimum is 7 days in the first year, rising by one day a year to 14 days from the eighth year. Many employers give more by contract, often 14 to 21 days for professionals, but the legal floor is low.

Italy. Every employee has at least four weeks of paid annual leave a year (art. 10, Legislative Decree 66/2003, and art. 2109 Civil Code). There is no qualifying period: leave accrues from the first day. The rules on taking it are strict:

• at least two weeks must be taken in the year it accrues, consecutively if the employee asks;
• the remaining two weeks must be taken within 18 months of the end of that year;
• the four-week minimum cannot be replaced by payment, except when employment ends.

Singapore employers used to encashing unused leave should note that in Italy, statutory leave must actually be taken. Leaving it unused builds a liability and a compliance risk.

Public holidays  

Singapore has 11 gazetted public holidays a year under the Holidays Act. From 2026 Italy has 12 national public holidays that can fall on a working day (Easter Sunday aside), after Law 151/2025 restored 4 October (St Francis of Assisi), plus the local patron saint’s day in each town. Public holidays are on top of annual leave in both countries. In Italy, a public holiday falling on a Sunday is generally compensated under the CCNL.

Many Italian businesses also slow down in August, with collective leave around mid-August (Ferragosto). Plan Italian project timelines with that in mind.

Sick leave  

Singapore. After three months of service, employees covered by the Employment Act get paid sick leave with a medical certificate:

Before three months, sick leave is unpaid. The employer pays.

Italy. Sick leave is paid from the start of employment. The process is:

1. the employee’s doctor sends the medical certificate online to INPS;
2. the employer receives the certificate details through INPS;
3. the employer can request a home check visit through INPS.

The cost is shared. For employees in commerce and services and blue-collar workers in industry, INPS pays a sickness allowance of 50% of average daily pay from day 4 to day 20 and 66.66% from day 21, up to 180 days a year; the employer pays the first three days and tops up to the level set by the CCNL, often full pay for a period. White-collar staff in industry, quadri and dirigenti get no INPS allowance: the employer pays in full under the CCNL.

The employee’s job is protected during illness for a period set by the CCNL, the comporto (art. 2110 Civil Code). Dismissal for absence is not possible within that period. There is no fixed number of paid sick days like Singapore’s 14; protection is measured by the comporto.

Working hours and overtime  

The Italian rules apply regardless of salary, except for executives and some autonomous roles. See Employment Act coverage vs Italian CCNL .

Other paid leave in Italy  

Italian employees also have statutory paid or protected leave for situations Singapore leaves to contract, for example:

• leave to care for a family member with a severe disability (Law 104/1992);
• marriage leave under most CCNLs, usually around 15 days;
• bereavement leave of three days a year;
• leave for blood donation, elected office and study under certain conditions.

Parental leave is covered in Maternity, paternity and childcare leave: Singapore vs Italy .

Common questions from Singapore teams  

Can we offer unlimited leave? You can offer more than the minimum, but you must still track leave and make sure the statutory four weeks are actually taken within the legal windows.

Is a medical certificate needed for one day off sick? Yes. In Italy, sick leave is certified by a doctor from the first day, sent online to INPS.

Can an employee be asked to work on a public holiday? Only within the CCNL rules, and with extra pay or a compensatory day off.

What happens to unused leave when someone leaves? It is paid out in the final payslip, with the pro-rata 13th month and TFR.

What this means if you hire through an EOR  

The EOR tracks leave accrual, applies the CCNL, handles sick certificates and pays sickness allowances through payroll. Your managers approve leave day to day.

Practical tips:

• align your global leave policy with Italian minimums, not Singapore ones;
• encourage employees to take leave within the legal windows;
• do not count Italian public holidays as part of annual leave;
• plan around August.

See the full comparison on Italy vs Singapore , how leave is written into the contract in Italian employment contracts , and the cost of leave in the cost calculator .

The bottom line  

Italy’s leave floor is roughly double Singapore’s minimum, it starts on day one, and sick leave is protected by time rather than by a day count. Set expectations with your team before the first Italian hire joins.

Questions about leave policies? Contact us .

General information, not legal advice.