- The possibility of extending basic paid vacation beyond five days is being hotly debated on the Chinese internet.
- In China, it is common for employees to only take vacation during the weeks pre-arranged by their employer.
- The topic, raised by a Hong Kong-based politician, went viral after state media expressed support.
Recent comments about Hong Kong politicians' paid holidays have sparked a debate about annual leave, or rather the lack thereof, in China.
Kenneth Fok, a Hong Kong-based member of China's National People's Congress, told state media on Monday that the country would gradually increase paid leave for young workers, giving them one day of paid leave for every year of work experience. He said it should be added.
Under current law, employees are entitled to five days of annual paid leave, which increases to 10 days after 10 years of service and 15 days after 20 years of service.
Mr Fok's proposal would allow young workers to increase or decrease their annual leave from five to 10 days until they reach the 10-year mark.
According to China Youth Daily, Fok said, “The five-day statutory annual vacation does not ensure sufficient rest. If the situation continues, it will affect the mental qualities of the people, the overall style, and the level of social grit. will be given,” he said. Run every day.
Fok said he would submit his proposal to the Two Sessions, an annual meeting of China's top decision-making body that opens in Beijing on Tuesday.
His proposal sparked hopes on Weibo, China's version of X, that the country might soon comply with international paid leave standards. The International Labor Organization recommends three weeks of annual paid leave.
People in China typically take vacations on public holidays, and businesses often close for a week before and after the long weekend. However, this practice is often controversial, as employees are expected to compensate for lost productivity by working overtime or on weekends before company holidays.
With annual paid leave, workers can take breaks and travel whenever they want.
The hype intensified on Tuesday when China Youth Daily published a follow-up to Fok's interview, calling it “necessary to protect vacation rights.”
“Many people can only swallow their anger and silently endure pressure and injury at work, even when they know that their rights and interests have been compromised.”
The topic went viral, reaching the top of Weibo's hot searches list with 110 million views, according to data seen by Business Insider.
“The widespread reaction to this shows how much we have suffered under the 996 schedule,” one blogger wrote. “How many office workers don't enjoy weekend vacations? How many workers don't receive full overtime pay? How many people have already forgotten what annual paid leave is? Do you want it?”
“I can’t even take two days off every week.”
The 996 concept, popularized by figures like Alibaba founder Jack Ma, requires employees to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, and this overtime culture was once popular in China. was hailed as a driving force behind China's growth, but faced opposition from China. A dissatisfied young man.
Online debate quickly focused on whether bosses would even allow younger employees to take forced leave.
“Directly increasing annual leave when you can't even enforce labor laws is just wishful thinking,” one blogger wrote. “If we can resolve the issue of unpaid overtime and unpaid holidays, there will be some hope.”
The Shanghai-based newspaper conducted an informal poll on Tuesday asking readers whether they thought it was okay to take time off. By Wednesday afternoon, fewer than half of the 7,200 survey respondents said they had taken annual leave.
“I can't even take two days off every week. I'm a bit nervous about taking even one day of annual leave,'' said a top employee.
According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 60 cities, only about 60% of Chinese workers take the required paid vacation. This data is regularly cited by the ministry, which conducted a similar study in 2015.
Fok's call for more paid leave comes as China begins to reconsider conditions for young workers as its population ages.
China's birth rate has fallen recently, a reversal after decades of rapid growth, raising concerns that a shrinking workforce will not be able to support a rapidly growing number of retirees.
In a follow-up post on Weibo, Fok wrote that allowing young Chinese workers to travel on vacation would boost the local economy by allowing them to spend more on travel.
By comparison, the United States is one of the few countries that does not have a mandatory annual paid leave policy. However, about 80% of private sector employees are entitled to paid leave, according to government statistics last updated in September 2023.
According to a February 2023 Pew Research Center survey of 5,188 U.S. adults, just over half of U.S. workers with paid vacation say they are taking all the days they earn. did.