The Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Datuk Awang Hashim, announced on 23 June 2022 that the Employment (Amendment) Act 2022 (the ‘Amendment Act’) will come into operation on 1 September 2022.¹
 
The Amendment Act will introduce significant changes to the Employment Act 1955 (the ‘Principal Act’).
 
To read our summary of the main amendments that will be introduced under the Amendment Act (whilst it was a Parliamentary Bill), please click here. It is to be noted that following changes were made at the committee stage and were incorporated into the Amendment Act that was eventually passed by the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara: 

• the increase in the number of days of maternity leave to 98 days instead of 90 days; and 
• the increase in the number of days of paternity leave to be introduced to be seven days instead of three days. 

As the Ministry of Human Resources had previously announced that they would expand the scope of the Principal Act by amending the First Schedule thereof by way of Ministerial Order, it remains to be seen whether such Order will be issued to take effect on 1 September 2022 together with the amendments under the Amendment Act.
 
Alert by Sara Lau (Partner) of the Employment Law Practice of Skrine.