Bangladesh's public servants to enjoy extended breaks with back-to-back holidays

After a long nine-day break during Eid, government officials and employees in Bangladesh are set to enjoy yet another round of consecutive holidays in May, thanks to a combination of public, executive and weekly holidays.

According to the gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, the first set of upcoming holidays begins on Thursday (1 May), marking International Workers' Day.

This will be followed by the regular weekend on Friday and Saturday, granting government staff a three-day break.

Later in the same month, another three-day holiday period awaits them. On 11 May (Sunday), the country will observe Buddha Purnima, a public holiday. As the day falls right after the regular weekend, public servants will once again have three consecutive days off.

These holidays follow the extended Eid-ul-Fitr vacation, during which government employees enjoyed a rare nine-day break.

The government had initially announced a five-day holiday for Eid. Later, through an executive order, 3 April was added to the list, effectively creating a continuous break from 28 March 28 to 5 April.

Currently, Bangladesh has around 1.5 million government officials and employees.

According to leave regulations, casual leave cannot be used to bridge the gap between two holidays. Doing so would count the days as continuous leave. But, there are provisions for earned leave and optional leave, which employees can avail with prior approval from their respective authorities.

Each government employee is entitled to three days of optional leave annually, based on their religious observances. These optional leaves can be combined with general, executive, or weekly holidays, provided prior permission is obtained.

The Ministry of Public Administration has clarified that offices governed by separate rules and regulations—such as Bangladesh Bank—or institutions providing emergency services, will declare their holidays in the public interest as per their own internal policies and legal framework.

With so many holidays lining up, government employees are enjoying a well-paced work-life rhythm this year—though it raises questions about service delivery continuity in critical public sectors.