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Leave policy in Jamaica

Here is a complete guide to the leave policy in Jamaica, covering annual leave, sick leave, public holidays, maternity leave, and more.

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The leave policy in Jamaica is governed primarily by the Holidays with Pay Act (1973). The act establishes the minimum leave entitlements to which all employees are legally entitled. Annual leave, sick leave, public holidays, and maternity leave are among the statutory leaves in Jamaica. 

Just like in Costa Rica, employers must be thoroughly familiar with the leave laws in Jamaica, as they are legally required to provide the above-mentioned leaves with full payment. Along with employers, employees must also know their leave entitlements in Jamaica for compliance and a fair workplace. 

EOR services like Payoneer Workforce Management help with onboarding, payroll, and time-off management for employees. They assist employers in navigating the leave policy in Jamaica seamlessly and remain compliant. 

Vacation & annual leave in Jamaica

Employees are entitled to annual leave in Jamaica. The number of days of annual leave or vacation depends on the employee’s employment tenure.

  • For the first 10 years, there are 10 days of earned leave per year. 
  • From the 11th year and after, there are 15 days of earned leave per year. 

Public holidays

There are 10 public holidays in Jamaica. You can follow the holiday calendar in Jamaica when you are planning a vacation. 

For 2026, the list of public holidays in Jamaica is as follows:

  • New Year’s Day – 1st January
  • Ash Wednesday – 18th February
  • Good Friday – 3rd April
  • Easter Monday – 6th April
  • Labor Day – 23rd May
  • Emancipation Day – 1st August
  • Independence Day – 6th August
  • National Heroes Day – 19th October
  • Christmas Day – 25th December
  • Boxing Day – 26th December

Sick leave in Jamaica

Employees are eligible for paid sick leave in Jamaica. However, for this, the employee has to complete a qualifying period of 90 working days with the employer. 

  • For the 1st year of employment, sick leave is accrued at a rate of 1 day for every 22 days worked. 
  • However, in the subsequent years, employees become entitled to 10 days of paid sick leave every year. 

If an employee is absent from work for injury or illness for consecutive three workdays, producing a medical certification is mandatory. 

Even for readmission to work, it is mandatory for employees to provide a doctor’s note. 

Maternity leave in Jamaica

Female employees are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave in Jamaica. Among the 12 weeks, for 8 weeks, the employee gets paid at regular salary rates. 

To be eligible for maternity leave in Jamaica, the female employee has to work with the employer or the organization for 52 continuous weeks. 

Paternity leave in Jamaica

There is no mandated paternity leave in Jamaica for new fathers. 

Other types of leave in Jamaica

Apart from the above-mentioned statutory leave entitlements in Jamaica, employees get other types of leave as well. Some of them are as follows:

Compassionate Leave

Along with the general paid time off in Jamaica, employees get compassionate leave for a maximum of 3 days. These are fully paid leaves. Compassionate leave is provided to attend emergencies involving serious injuries or even the death of a family member or a close one.  

Childcare leave

The leave policy of Jamaica does not have any childcare leave for employees. 

Wedding leave

Similar to childcare leave, there is no wedding leave policy for employees in Jamaica. 

Explore Payoneer Workforce Management in Jamaica

Employees joining a new employer or organization must know about the leave policy in Jamaica. This also applies to employers. Not following the leave laws in Jamaica can lead to legal consequences. 

Payoneer Workforce Management, a trusted EOR, helps employers maintain proper leave entitlements in Jamaica for employees. The EOR service offers assistance with time-off management, taxation, payroll management, compliance, and more. 

Book a demo today!

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Payoneer Workforce Management offers a unified EOR platform that helps with onboarding, payroll, taxes, and simplifies leave tracking and compliance for Jamaican businesses by automating vacation, sick, and maternity leave calculations, governed by the Holidays with Pay Act. It assists with reducing administrative burden for HR teams. 

Yes, pregnant female employees are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave in Jamaica. Out of this, 8 weeks are fully paid at regular salary rates. The employee has to complete 52 weeks of continuous service with the employer. 

There are 10 paid public holidays in Jamaica. If a public holiday falls on a weekend, the government decides annually whether a substitute working day will be granted in lieu. 

There is no mandatory leave carry-forward policy in Jamaica. However, in many cases, it is up to the employer’s discretion. 

For the first 10 years, the paid annual leave in Jamaica for employees is 10 days. From the 11th year onwards, there are 15 paid annual leaves in the country. 

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