Holidays

• 1st January – New Year’s Day

• 8th March – International Women’s Day

• 14th April – Lao New Year (3 days)

• 1st May – International Labour Day

• 26th May – Visakhabousa Day (Birth of Buddha)

• 20th July – Women’s Union Establishment Day

• 21st October – End of Buddhist Lent Day

• 19th November – That Luang Festival (Full Moon in the early November)

• 2nd December – National Day

The national day of employees who do not hold Lao citizenship (one day on the national day of the relevant nation).

In cases where official holidays fall on weekly rest days in any given week, a replacement rest day will be chosen as a substitution.

Customary holidays are subject to agreement between the employer and the employee.

PTO

• Vacation/Annual Paid Leave

Employees that have worked consecutively for one year have the right to an annual leave of fifteen days. Employees who work in sectors that are dangerous to health will have the right to an annual leave of eighteen days. The employer will set the annual leave dates for the employee in advance or in accordance with any agreement between the employer and employee.

In both cases of annual leave, the employee has the right to receive salary or wages in full as normal.

Weekly rest days, official holidays, customary holidays, and personal leave are not counted in annual leave.

• Use-it-or-lose-it policy 

Not specified by law.

• PTO payout at the termination

If an employee is unable to take annual leave because of a reason stemming from their employer, the employer must pay an extra wage to the employee equal to one hundred percent of the normal wage according to the days that the employee was unable to take leave.

Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave

Female employees are entitled by law to receive full wages in case of maternity leave, which can range from 90 to 105 days, or 120 days in the case of multiple births. 

In the event of a miscarriage, female employees are also entitled to maternity leave, with the number of days to be determined by the attending physician.

Paternity Leave

Male employees are entitled to take Personal leave up to 3 days if the employee’s wife gives birth or miscarriages.

Sick Leave and Family Care Leave

Sick Leave

Upon presentation of a medical certificate, employees that are remunerated monthly are entitled to sick leave with full pay for not more than thirty days per year.

For employees who work on a daily or hourly paid basis, per unit of production basis, or based on specific work contracts, will be entitled to payment during sick leave only if they have worked for more than ninety days.

The provisions above do not apply to sick leave that occurred from labor accidents or occupational diseases.

Family Care Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 3 days of leave if the employee’s father, mother, spouse, or child is injured and hospitalized, and there is nobody to take care of them.

Jury Duty Leave and Voting Leave (Leave due to Public Interest)

Not specified by law.

Bereavement Leave

Employees are entitled to up to 3 days of paid leave if the employee’s father, mother, spouse, or child passes away.

Military Leave

Not specified by law.

Please consult your local legal counsel to learn more about Laos Leave Laws.

To learn more about laws in various countries, check out our Leave Laws page.