FOLLOWING the recent Budget 2020 speech, we have seen a revival in the debate on extending maternity leave and introducing paternity leave.

The Malaysian Employers Federation claimed that an additional 38 days of paid maternity leave would cost an unbelievable RM3.87bil. Other sources have estimated that in the short term, longer maternity leave and introducing paternity leave would indeed incur significant costs. However, this was countered by yet other sources noting that in the long run, family-friendly policies such as generous parental leave schemes are cost-efficient as they increase employee retention rate and result in healthier children, who will eventually make up the workforce.