More employers are going beyond the basic statutory requirements to provide various family-friendly leave benefits, reported a survey from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The proportion of private sector employees on flexible working arrangement increased from 5.1 per cent in 2006 to 7.4 per cent in 2008.

Including the public sector, the proportion of employees on flexible working arrangements was higher at 9.4 per cent in 2008.

A large proportion of establishments granted non-statutory leave benefits such as compassionate leave and marriage leave to their employees.

85 per cent of establishments granted compassionate leave while 70 per cent gave marriage leave.

Five-day work week still the norm

The 5-day workweek continued to be the norm, with a higher proportion of employees now on this arrangement than two years ago (from 43 per cent in 2006 to 44 per cent in 2008).

The 6-day workweek 5 1/2-day and shift work accounted for less than one in five employees each in 2008.

According to the survey, there had also been a rise in share of better qualified workers who enjoy more favourable leave benefits.

This has led to an increase in the proportion of employees who are entitled to at least 15 days of paid annual leave from 31 per cent in 1992 to 39 per cent in 2008 in the private sector.

Including the public sector, the share was slightly higher at 41 per cent in 2008.

More taking sick leave

The survey, conducted in mid-2008, also found that there were more employees - 56 per cent polled - applying for sick leave compared to 52 per cent in 2005.

However, the average number of days of sick leave taken per person in 2007 was lower than 2005.

Employees consumed 4.6 days of sick leave in 2007., comparable to 4.7 days in 2005.

Less people took hospitalisation leave: 4.1 per cent took in-patient sick leave in 2007 compared to 4.5 per cent in 2005.