May holidays — 2025: how we rest, how many working days and days off there will be in May

The May holidays are traditionally a long-awaited period for Russians, which gives them the opportunity to relax, spend more time with their family or do summer jobs. In 2025, those who work five days a day will be able to legally rest for two long periods in the first half of the month. They can also be increased by vacations. Izvestia tells us more about the schedule of vacations and work in Russia in May, and whether it is profitable to take a vacation during this period.

How we rest and work in May 2025: production calendar

In May 2025, Russians expect two long weekend periods associated with official public holidays. Among them:

— Spring and Labor Day: celebrated in Russia on May 1 since 1917, it symbolizes the solidarity of workers;

— Victory Day on May 9: it is dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and is one of the most significant holidays in the country.

This year, in honor of these holidays, it will be possible to relax:

— from Thursday, May 1, to Sunday, May 4, inclusive;

— from Thursday, May 8, to Sunday, May 11, inclusive.

Before the May holidays, Russians will have a short working week, which will last from Monday, May 28, to Wednesday, April 30. Moreover, since the last day of April is a pre-holiday, working hours will be reduced by one hour.

According to the production calendar for 2025, there will be a total of 18 working days and 13 days off and holidays in May. Compared to 2024, the number of rest days will increase by two. For example, employees working on schedule 5/2 will have two identical long weekend periods.: from May 1 to May 4 and from May 8 to May 11.

This structure of weekends and working days was established on the basis of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 04.10.2024 No. 1335 "On the postponement of weekends in 2025". According to the document, for the rational use of weekends and non-working holidays by employees, the following additional public holidays were postponed this year:

— New Year's Saturday, January 4, was postponed to Friday, May 2;

Defender of the Fatherland Day, February 23, which fell on Sunday, was postponed to Thursday, May 8.

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Is it profitable to take a vacation in May 2025

The May holidays will allow you to extend your vacation without spending significant vacation days. So, if you take a vacation from April 28 to April 30, you can have a rest from Saturday, April 26, to Sunday, May 4. In total, you will get nine consecutive days of rest when using only three days of vacation.

You can also extend the May weekend if you take a vacation from May 5 to May 7. Then the total will be 11 consecutive days of rest — from May 1 to May 11. However, from a financial point of view, taking a vacation in May is not profitable. Due to two holidays, there are only 18 working days left in a month, so the cost of a working day that will be deducted from the salary will be higher than in months with more working days.

For example, if an employee works on a 5/2 schedule and receives 60,000 rubles per month, his working day in May will cost 3,333 rubles, whereas in April, where there will be 22 working days, he will be valued at 2,727 rubles. Since the amount of vacation pay is calculated based on the average daily earnings for the year, which in this case is 2,047 rubles, an employee will lose about 1,286 rubles for each day of the May vacation. And if an employee takes a vacation in April, the monetary loss will be almost two times less — 680 rubles per day of the official day off.

The most profitable way to take a vacation is at the end of April, taking over the May holidays. For example, if you take a vacation starting on April 21 for a period of 10 days, then the first working day will not be on Thursday, May 1, but on Monday, May 5. This will maximize the rest period without financial losses.

How is work paid during the May holidays

Not all government organizations stop working on public holidays. On official holidays, the following services are available:

— continuously operating enterprises: for example, energy companies, continuous production enterprises;

— medical institutions: hospitals, ambulance stations and other units;

— transportation services: public transport, air carriers;

— emergency and emergency services: police, Ministry of Emergency Situations, fire departments.

For employees in these fields, working on holidays is a necessity, and they receive appropriate compensation in accordance with labor laws. According to Article 153 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, work during public holidays must be paid in double the amount. Also, as compensation, the employee has the right to take time off for work on the weekend, but in this case this period will be paid at the standard rate.