First Lady Sajidha Mohamed has welcomed the newly ratified amendment to the Employment Act that extends childcare time-off for employees until their child reaches two years of age.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu ratified the 9th Amendment to the Employment Act on 14 March.
In a social media post, the First Lady said the amendment is an important step that supports working mothers in balancing their professional and family responsibilities, while also promoting maternal health and enabling continued breastfeeding. This will contribute to the achievement of global nutrition targets set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), she said.
The amendment was passed by the Parliament at the 5th sitting of its first session for the year held on Sunday, 8 March 2026. Key changes include a provision granting employees time off for childcare from the date of return from maternity leave until the child reaches two years of age. Under the existing law, employees are entitled to two 30-minute breaks during working hours each day to visit and care for their child without any deduction from salary, until the child reaches the age of one.
The amendment now extends this entitlement until the child turns two. While employees are already entitled to a one-hour break during working hours, the time allocated for childcare is granted in addition to this existing break.