JOHOR BARU: The decision to shift to a Saturday-Sunday weekend from the current Friday-Saturday weekend is set to improve work-life balance and enhance overall productivity, says Johor executive councillor Lee Ting Han.
The Johor investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman said one of the key outcomes of the directive includes ensuring Muslim employees are given sufficient time and space to perform Friday prayers.
He warned that factories and industry players failing to comply may face further action.
“The move follows a series of surveys and stakeholder engagement sessions that were conducted before these decisions were introduced.
"In collaboration with the Johor Labour Department, we will work closely with industry players to ensure the directive is effectively implemented," he said this after the officiating ceremony of the Green Legacy Johor Summit 2024 at Persada International Convention Centre here on Tuesday (Oct 8).
Earlier, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that the shift to a Saturday-Sunday weekend will impact about 2.5 million people statewide, including 587,343 school students.
The rest of the 1.94 million workforce consists of government and private sector employees.
"In line with the Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim's decree, the state and I will examine the weekend change from all aspects," he said, noting that they would also consider suitable timings for Muslims to perform Friday prayers.
Onn Hafiz added that aligning the weekend would reduce scheduling conflicts between the government and private sectors.
"This change will also allow families to spend more time together and enhance cross-border economic activities," he added.
On Monday (Oct 7), the Johor Regent made an official announcement that starting Jan 1 next year, Johor will revert to a Saturday-Sunday weekend, ending an 11-year period where Friday and Saturday were designated as the official days off since 2014.
