All employees, except those hired after 30 September of the holiday year, are entitled to full holiday leave under the Holiday Act. The law does not distinguish between full-time and part-time employees. This means that a part-time employee is entitled to the same length of holiday as a full-time employee in the same organisation.
However, for part-time employees, it is important to note that holiday days are also "used up" on workdays that are normally days off. For example, an employee working 80% of full time who takes a week of holiday will, under the Holiday Act, use five holiday days, even if they were only scheduled to work four days that week.
If a part-time employee wishes to take single days as holiday, it can often be challenging to determine how many holiday days are used. The Holiday Act assumes that the employer and employee will agree on the number of holiday days used during a specific holiday period. If no agreement is reached, the employer can, in accordance with their managerial authority, decide on the holiday schedule.
The table below shows the number of holiday days a part-time employee is entitled to based on their percentage of employment. The calculation assumes that the part-time employee works whole days and has whole days off.
Baseline: 5 weeks of holiday (25 holiday days)
| Percentage of position | Number of holiday days |
|---|---|
| 80 % | 20 |
| 60 % | 15 |
| 50 % | 12/13 |
| 40 % | 10 |
| 30 % | 5 |