On 9 October 2024, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued a Prakas No. 218.24 on Paid Public Holidays in 2025 (“Prakas”). The Prakas provides workers-employees of enterprises-establishments under Article 1 of Cambodian Labor Law with paid public holidays following calendars as below:

1 January                             New Year’s Day 1 day
7 January                             Victory over Genocide Day 1 day
8 March                               International Women’s Day 1 day
14-15-16 April                     Khmer New Year 3 days
1 May                                    International Labor Day 1 day
11 May                                  Visak Bochea Day 1 day
14 May                                 King Norodom Sihamoni’s Birthday 1 day
15 May                                 Royal Ploughing Ceremony 1 day
18 June                                Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk’s Birthday 1 day
21-22-23 September         Pchum Ben Festival 3 days
24 September                     Constitutional Day 1 day
15 October                           Commemoration Day of King Father Norodom Sihanouk 1 day
29 October                          King Norodom Sihamoni’s Coronation Day 1 day
4-5-6 November                Water Festival 3 days
9 November                        National Independence Day 1 day
29 December                      Peace Day in Cambodia 1 day

For enterprises-establishments with global business objectives which require daily ongoing operations, where granting leave to all employees may disrupt operations or public interest, rotational paid leave may be implemented. 

If the rotational paid leave cannot support the operations of the enterprises-establishments, owners/directors can negotiate with representatives of workers-employees to inform all workers-employees to work during public holidays, and alternative paid leave will be placed on the other days instead.

Alternative arrangements may be applied if there are mutual agreements between workers-employees and employers, or if internal labor regulations or collective bargaining agreements specify different terms.

Employers are required to maintain a list of workers-employees on rotational paid leave for labor inspection.

During this holidays, owners/directors of enterprises-establishments shall have other workers-employees work temporarily to replace those workers-employees who are on holidays.

For additional information, please contact our legal expert Antoine FONTAINE.

The content shared here is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as a legal advice. Legal matters can be complex and may vary based on individual circumstances. For personalized guidance on specific legal issues, we recommend consulting with our qualified legal professionals.