Johor’s weekend days off will be changed to Saturday and Sunday starting from January 1 of the following year, as announced by Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim on October 7. Since January 2014, the Malaysian state has observed Friday and Saturday as weekend rest days in order to allow Muslims to perform their prayers as decreed by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. The change to Saturday and Sunday has been approved by the Sultan, who is also currently Malaysia’s king, and follows input from the Johor Islamic Religious Council. Tunku Ismail has instructed the Johor chief minister and mufti to thoroughly examine all facets of this decision.
In 2022, the Johor state government began reviewing its weekend days off in response to public complaints about differing rest days for the government and private sectors. Johor’s primary and secondary schools currently adhere to the state’s weekend days off, and the change would impact over 576,000 students and more than 1.7 million workers in Johor. Aligning weekend rest days is expected to enhance the state’s productivity and efficiency, according to Johor Jaya assemblyman Liow Cai Tung. The federal government follows a Saturday-Sunday weekend, while some states like Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu observe Friday and Saturday as official rest days.
Prior to 2014, Johor’s weekend days off were Saturday and Sunday, and the potential implementation of a two-and-a-half-day weekend – incorporating half of Friday, along with Saturday and Sunday as rest days – was rumored in the 2022 review. However, Tunku Ismail’s announcement on Monday did not address this possibility. The regent emphasized the importance of allowing Muslim workers enough time and space to perform Friday prayers accordingly, urging cooperation from the private sector, government, and related parties. The change in weekend days off aims to harmonize rest days for parents and children, who currently have different schedules due to school closures on weekends.
Chief minister Mr. Onn Hafiz noted the necessity of reviewing the weekend days off to align with the rest days of the federal government for greater uniformity. The decision to switch days comes after careful consideration of the impact on the general public and various sectors of society. Johor’s economy relies heavily on the private sector, and the change will affect employees across all industries. The shift to Saturday and Sunday as weekend days off is seen as a positive step towards enhancing work-life balance and ensuring that everyone has equal opportunities for rest and leisure. The state government may explore further adjustments to optimize productivity and efficiency.
