SINGAPORE: Changes to Singapore's childcare leave scheme will take "at least several months" to kick in, as the government prepares legislative amendments and works through the operational details with employers and unions, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah said.

Speaking in a CNA938 radio interview that aired on Wednesday (Sep 2), Ms Indranee, who chairs the inter-agency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, said that there are “a few things” that need to happen before more childcare leave can be implemented, including amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Act that will take time to legislate.

“Operational issues” need to be worked out with employers, the unions and parents “just to make sure that we get all the details tied down”, she said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced during his National Day Rally speech on Aug 23 that each parent will get eight, 10 or 12 days of leave a year if he or she has one, two or three or more children respectively.

This is up from the current six days of leave a year for each parent with children aged six and below, or two days a year if the children are between seven and 12 years old.

When asked about concerns that the enhanced leave could cause workload issues for employers and non-parents, Ms Indranee said that the leave situation at workplaces is generally a “very tight” one.

“If one person is out of play, somebody else has to step in, bear the load, or you have to scramble to find somebody to cover,” she said.

Ms Indranee said the government has done “step one”, which is to cover the costs of the childcare leave.

This means that the employer now has the additional cash in hand which they can use to pay those colleagues who are covering for the parent who is taking childcare leave, or to be able to hire somebody else to cover, she said.

EASIER SAID THAN DONE

However, she added that implementing more childcare leave is “easier said than done”.

Even if the details are...