Parental leave: proposal to remove the one-year wait between children
The Labour Ministry announced three changes on 16 October. They form part of a bill being prepared, not a new rule already in force.
A bill being prepared by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security would remove the one-year interval between taking parental leave for different children, according to its official announcement of 16 October 2026.
Presenting the proposal on ERT, Niki Kerameus referred to the entitlement to four months of parental leave per child up to age eight. The announcement concerns greater flexibility in taking that leave; it does not announce an additional four-month entitlement.
The other two proposed changes
Where both parents work for the same employer, the ministry proposes removing the requirement to declare the order in which they will take leave. It also envisages carers’ leave without completing six months of employment. This is a different type of leave from parental leave.
What the announcement does not activate
The release itself describes the bill as under preparation and provides neither a commencement date for the changes nor a new implementing Government Gazette publication. Workers should therefore not treat these proposals as new entitlements that have already taken effect today.
The final text, completion of the legislative process and commencement provisions will determine when and under what conditions the changes apply. According to the ministry, provisions on algorithmic management of work also form part of the same developing bill.
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