Know All Public Holidays in Malaysia 2019 for Managing Staffing and Business
Do you run a business in Malaysia? If you’re an employer, then keeping tabs on the upcoming public holidays in Malaysia is essential to managing staffing and business expectations.
Knowing the upcoming public holidays in Malaysia will give you a heads up so you can plan and ensure that there is no service interruption to your workflow. Malaysia comprises of four major public holidays, which are Christmas, Chinese New Year, Hari Raya and Deepavali. Typically, this is where a lot of staff will be going on leave, sometimes simultaneously.
List of Public Holidays in Malaysia 2019
The list below provides the details of all the public holidays in Malaysia. Do note that these dates may be modified when there are official changes being announced.
*Public holidays in Malaysia that fall on Sunday will be replaced the following Monday.
| Public Holiday in Malaysia | Date | Day | Affected States |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1, 2019 | Tuesday | National holiday except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis & Terengganu |
| YDPB Negeri Sembilan's Birthday | January 14, 2019 | Monday | Negeri Sembilan |
| Sultan of Kedah’s Birthday | January 20, 2019 | Sunday* | Kedah |
| Thaipusam | January 21, 2019 | Monday | Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya & Selangor |
| Federal Territory Day | February 1, 2019 | Friday | Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya |
| Chinese New Year | February 5, 2019 | Tuesday | National |
| Chinese New Year Holiday | February 6, 2019 | Wednesday | National |
| Installation of Sultan Terengganu | March 4, 2019 | Monday | Terengganu |
| Sultan of Johor’s Birthday | March 23, 2019 | Saturday | Johor |
| Israk and Mikraj | April 3, 2019 | Wednesday | Kedah, Negeri Sembilan & Perlis |
| Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City | April 15, 2019 | Monday | Melaka |
| Good Friday | April 19, 2019 | Friday | Sabah & Sarawak |
| Sultan of Terengganu’s Birthday | April 26, 2019 | Friday | Terengganu |
| Labour Day | May 1, 2019 | Wednesday | National |
| Awal Ramadan | May 6, 2019 | Monday | Johor, Kedah & Melaka |
| Hari Hol Pahang | May 7, 2019 | Tuesday | Pahang |
| Wesak Day | May 19, 2019 | Sunday* | National |
| Wesak Day Holiday | May 20, 2019 | Monday | National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu |
| Nuzul Al-Quran | May 22, 2019 | Wednesday | National except Johor, Kedah, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah & Sarawak |
| Harvest Festival | May 30, 2019 | Thursday | Labuan & Sabah |
| Harvest Festival Holiday | May 31, 2019 | Friday | Labuan & Sabah |
| Hari Gawai | June 1, 2019 | Saturday | Sarawak |
| Hari Gawai Holiday | June 2, 2019 | Sunday* | Sarawak |
| Hari Gawai Holiday | June 3, 2019 | Monday | Sarawak |
| Hari Raya Aidilfitri | June 5, 2019 | Wednesday | National |
| Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday | June 6, 2019 | Thursday | National |
| Georgetown World Heritage City Day | July 7, 2019 | Sunday* | Penang |
| Georgetown World Heritage City Holiday | July 8, 2019 | Monday | Penang |
| Penang Governor’s Birthday | July 13, 2019 | Saturday | Penang |
| Raja Perlis’ Birthday | July 17, 2019 | Wednesday | Perlis |
| Sarawak Day | July 22, 2019 | Monday | Sarawak |
| Hari Raya Haji | August 11, 2019 | Sunday* | National |
| Hari Raya Haji Holiday | August 12, 2019 | Monday | National |
| Merdeka Day | August 31, 2019 | Saturday | National |
| Awal Muharram | September 1, 2019 | Sunday* | National |
| Merdeka Day Holiday | September 2, 2019 | Monday | Kelantan & Terengganu |
| Awal Muharram Holiday | September 2, 2019 | Monday | National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu |
| Agong’s Birthday | September 9, 2019 | Monday | National |
| Malaysia Day | September 16, 2019 | Monday | National |
| Sabah Governor’s Birthday | October 5, 2019 | Saturday | Sabah |
| Hari Hol Almarhum Sultan Iskandar | October 5, 2019 | Saturday | Johor |
| Melaka Governor’s Birthday | October 11, 2019 | Friday | Melaka |
| Sarawak Governor’s Birthday | October 12, 2019 | Saturday | Sarawak |
| Sultan of Pahang’s Birthday | October 24, 2019 | Thursday | Pahang |
| Deepaali | October 27, 2019 | Sunday* | National except Sarawak |
| Deepavali Holiday | October 28, 2019 | Monday | National except Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak & Terengganu |
| Sultan of Perak’s Birthday | November 1, 2019 | Friday | Perak |
| Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday | November 9, 2019 | Saturday | National |
| Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Holiday | November 10, 2019 | Sunday* | Kelantan & Terengganu |
| Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday | November 11, 2019 | Monday | Kelantan |
| Sultan of Kelantan’s Birthday Holiday | November 12, 2019 | Tuesday | Kelantan |
| Sultan of Selangor’s Birthday | December 11, 2019 | Wednesday | Selangor |
| Christmas Day | December 25, 2019 | Wednesday | National |
Payment for Employees Who Work During Public Holidays in Malaysia
The Employment Act 1955 states that employees in Malaysia are entitled to paid holiday at their ordinary rate of pay. The paid holiday entitlements are on any of the following days during the calendar year:
- National Day
- Birthday of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong
- Birthday of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri
- Labour Day
- Any day declared as a public holiday under section 8 of the Holidays Act 1951
If the public holiday happens to fall on a rest day, the following working day will be a paid holiday substitution. If overtime work is performed during a paid public holiday, the employee is entitled to the paid at a rate no less than 3 times their hourly pay rate.
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