2021 ZAMBIA HOLIDAYS

2021 Public Holidays Zambia Service

The above is the list of 2021 public holidays declared in Zambia which includes federal, regional government holidays and popular observances. We also provide Zambia holiday calendar for 2021 in Word, Excel, PDF and printable online formats.

Zambia has 11 public holidays in a year. The Ministry of Labor regulates the public holidays. In Chapter 272 of the country’s laws, the president has the power to add or remove the holiday(s) if he so desired. Since the election of 2014, an additional of three public holidays have been included in the general holiday list each year. Similarly, most national election dates are considered public holidays as most people do not show up to work. On Christmas and other significant public holidays, the residents take the extra day after Christmas as part of the holiday.

As regulated by the law, the employer is required to give a paid day off to their employees on public holidays. On these public holidays, employees such as doctors and nurses who work on holidays are compensated and given an extra day off. Most of these agreements are to the discretion of the employers. There have been significant changes in the Labor Codes and regulations over the past few years. These changes touch on matters of pay and vacation days. It is wise for foreign staff to familiarize themselves with the Labor Codes more specifically on public holidays. Holidays that occur on Sundays and Saturdays are moved to the coming Monday.

Business is as usual as most shops and entertainment joints stay open all through the public holiday. It dies down as the day ends as most people return to their homes with their families. The government, offices, and banks get to close down the day before the holidays and reopen after.