⚖️ Legal Regulations

The Zambian labour code, primarily the Employment Code Act No. 3 of 2019, governs working conditions. It stipulates a standard work week of 48 hours, typically Monday to Friday, with provisions for overtime pay. The Act also mandates paid public holidays and outlines leave entitlements, including annual, sick, and maternity leave.

💡 Insights

The standard work week in Zambia runs Monday through Friday. A notable cultural practice is the provision of compensatory days off when a public holiday falls on a weekend, ensuring workers still receive the day off. Strategic planning of leave around public holidays to create extended weekends is common.

2026 Working days summary for Zambia

Zambia has 248 working days in 2026. This is calculated from 365 total calendar days, minus 100 weekend days (Saturday-Sunday), and minus 17 holidays. The standard work week runs Monday through Friday.

248
Working Days
100
Weekend Days
17
Holidays

Monthly Breakdown

MonthWorkingWeekendHolidaysTotal
January 21 9 1 31
February 20 8 0 28
March 20 8 3 31
April 19 7 4 30
May 19 10 2 31
June 22 8 0 30
July 21 8 2 31
August 20 10 1 31
September 22 8 0 30
October 21 7 3 31
November 21 9 0 30
December 22 8 1 31
Total 248 100 17 365

2026 Calendar for Zambia

January 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
New Year's Day
New Year's Day
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

21 working days, 9 weekend days, and 1 holiday in January 2026.

February 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28

20 working days, 8 weekend days in February 2026.

March 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
International Women's Day
International Women's Day
9
International Women's Day
International Women's Day
10
11
12
Youth Day
Youth Day
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

20 working days, 8 weekend days, and 3 holidays in March 2026.

April 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
Good Friday
Good Friday
4
Easter Saturday
Easter Saturday
5
6
Easter Monday
Easter Monday
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Kenneth Kaunda Day
Kenneth Kaunda Day
29
30

19 working days, 7 weekend days, and 4 holidays in April 2026.

May 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
Labour Day
Labour Day
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Africa Day
Africa Day
26
27
28
29
30
31

19 working days, 10 weekend days, and 2 holidays in May 2026.

June 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

22 working days, 8 weekend days in June 2026.

July 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
Heroes' Day
Heroes' Day
7
Unity Day
Unity Day
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

21 working days, 8 weekend days, and 2 holidays in July 2026.

August 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
Farmers' Day
Farmers' Day
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

20 working days, 10 weekend days, and 1 holiday in August 2026.

September 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

22 working days, 8 weekend days in September 2026.

October 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Prayer Day
Prayer Day
19
National Prayer Day (observed)
National Prayer Day (observed)
20
21
22
23
24
Independence Day
Independence Day
25
26
27
28
29
30
31

21 working days, 7 weekend days, and 3 holidays in October 2026.

November 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

21 working days, 9 weekend days in November 2026.

December 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Christmas Day
Christmas Day
26
27
28
29
30
31

22 working days, 8 weekend days, and 1 holiday in December 2026.

Changelog

2026-05-17 22:19:49The holiday set for Zambia in 2026 has been updated to include additional observances and slight modifications to existing holidays.
2026-05-05 10:28:42The holiday set for Zambia in 2026 has been expanded to include additional observances and a few days off, resulting in an overall increase in the number of holidays.

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