While many treat the day after Christmas as an extension of the festivities,
December 26, 2025, will be a non-working day in Peru, not a formal
holiday-a crucial distinction impacting workers in both the public and private
sectors. The same applies to January 2, 2026, according to a government
provision.
Long Weekends Ahead: What Peruvian Workers Need to Know
A decree aims to boost tourism and provide extended breaks, but the rules
differ substantially from traditional holidays.
- Essential services will continue operating normally.
Through a Supreme decree, the government declared Friday, December 26,
2025, and Friday, January 2, 2026, as non-working days to encourage “long
holidays” and promote domestic tourism during the year-end season.
What’s the difference between a holiday and a non-working day?
Unlike a formal holiday, a non-working day doesn’t guarantee automatic pay.
Public sector employees will be required to compensate for the time not
worked.
The decree, formalized on April 2 of this year while Dina Boluarte was
President, bears the signatures of then-President of the Council of
Ministers, Gustavo Adrianzen, and other ministers from that period.
The government has applied this policy for over a decade, aiming to align
national holidays with non-working days to create longer weekends that
stimulate travel and bolster local economies, particularly during peak tourist
seasons.
READ ALSO: A project to make the setting of non-working days
predictable is currently being debated in Congress.
For public sector workers, the Supreme Decree stipulates that any hours not
worked must be recovered within the next ten days, or as persistent by the
head of each public entity based on service needs.
The measure primarily benefits public sector workers nationwide, though state
entities must ensure the continued operation of essential public
services.
READ ALSO: Workers could potentially rest on Saturdays for religious
reasons, with subsequent compensation required.
In the private sector, companies can utilize the non-working days
through agreements with thier employees. If no consensus is reached, the
employer decides how to recover the lost hours.
Essential services-including health, sanitation, electricity,
telecommunications, transportation, security, the financial system, hotels,
restaurants, and food outlets-are authorized to exclude certain positions
from these non-working days to maintain citizen services.
Therefore, while the calendar may indicate an extra day of rest, many
workers will find that December 26 will require later compensation-a key
detail to consider when planning end-of-year arrangements.
