Johor’s weekend rest days are set to change to Saturday and Sunday starting from January 1st next year, according to an announcement made by Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim. Previously, the state had Friday and Saturday off to allow Muslims to perform their prayers as decreed by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar. The decision to change the rest days was made with the consent of the Sultan and after taking into consideration the views of the Johor Islamic Religious Council.
Tunku Ismail has appointed Johor chief minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Johor’s mufti Yahya Ahmad to thoroughly examine and study all aspects of the change in weekend days. He emphasized the importance of allowing Muslim workers enough time and space to perform Friday prayers properly. The change in weekend days is expected to impact approximately 576,000 students and over 1.7 million workers in Johor, with the majority of them being in the private sector.
It was reported in 2022 that the Johor state government was reviewing its weekend days off due to public complaints about differing rest days for the government and the private sector. Aligning the rest days for parents and their children, as well as increasing productivity and efficiency, were cited as reasons for making the change. While some states in Malaysia observe Friday and Saturday as the official weekend days, the federal government follows a Saturday-Sunday weekend schedule.
Prior to 2014, Johor’s weekend days off were Saturday and Sunday, and the state government is now considering implementing a two-and-a-half-day weekend with half of Friday and Saturday and Sunday as rest days. However, Tunku Ismail’s announcement did not mention this arrangement. The decision to change the weekend days off in Johor is expected to have a significant impact on the daily lives of residents, schools, and businesses in the state. It is hoped that aligning the rest days with those of the federal government and other states in Malaysia will lead to improved coordination and efficiency.
