Recently, online rumors have circulated suggesting major adjustments to China’s national holiday schedule in 2025:
*One version of the rumor claims that the notorious “holiday swap” system - where people work weekends to make up for extended holidays – will finally be abolished. In other words, no more compensatory workdays in exchange for time off.
*Another version suggests that while the holiday swap system will remain, two extra days off will be added to the May Day and Spring Festival holidays, creating a 7-day break for May Day and a 9-day break for Spring Festival.
Currently, employees in China receive 11 days of public holidays and 5 to 15 days of annual paid leave, totaling approximately 16 to 26 paid days off per year. On paper, this isn’t much different from what employees in many developed countries enjoy.
The real difference lies in enforcement:
In countries like France and Germany, paid leave is strictly enforced, and it’s illegal for employees to forgo their vacation or for companies to deny them. However, in China many companies are reluctant to fully honor this responsibility due to cost considerations, resulting in fewer actual vacation days for employees.
The “holiday swap” system, which stitches together fragmented holidays, has long been a source of public frustration. At its core, this system does not increase the total number of holidays but instead shifts them around, forcing employees to "repay" their missed workdays after their time off.
The intent behind this system is clear: it’s not about giving workers more time to rest, but about concentrating holidays to spur consumer spending.
Going forward, adjustment to the compensatory leave system should focus on ensuring that workers get adequate rest. Only after this should the finer details of the policy be crafted.
