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Original article: El descanso entra al cálculo económico: Gobierno de Keiko evaluará cuánto cuestan los feriados

Keiko Fujimori’s government will closely examine the economic implications of official holidays in Peru. While the president dismissed any intentions of reducing the number of holidays, she has tasked the Ministry of Labor with conducting a detailed study to determine the true cost of the current 16 commemorative dates to the country.

Labor and Employment Minister Juan Sheput explained the scope of this evaluation, stating that it involves planning to analyze the effects of holidays on various sectors of the economy.

“We need to find a middle ground,” the official remarked, emphasizing that the goal is to achieve a balance that benefits all economic players.

He noted that the official stance is that neither the number of holidays will be reduced nor increased, and the focus will be on achieving a situation that is beneficial for all parties involved.

The need for this analysis stems from a visible conflict of interest among productive sectors. On one side, Minister Sheput acknowledged that business owners express dissatisfaction as these days lead to increased operational costs due to additional payments to the workforce working on holidays.

“Holidays represent a cost,” he stated, explaining that companies must pay premiums to employees to maintain operations, which impacts their competitiveness. However, the situation is completely different for other industries. Sheput highlighted that the gastronomic, tourism, and recreational sectors are “happy” because these periods significantly boost their revenue.

The minister also criticized the origins of this list of holidays, noting that the previous Congress acted without a solid economic rationale.

“It was done simply to replicate,” Sheput asserted, criticizing the logic of equating commemorative dates without measuring the consequences. He questioned why the Battle of Ayacucho is a holiday while the Battle of Junín is not, arguing that the decisions were not based on an analysis of economic impact or a previously established public policy, as reported by the newspaper Caretas.

The scope of the government’s investigation will not be limited to traditional holidays. Sheput warned that the impact of so-called “long holidays” or long weekends, which often benefit primarily state sector workers, will also be evaluated.

He recalled the recent independence celebrations, which significantly extended for public employees, and emphasized that “all these kinds of things need to be assessed” to implement appropriate measures.

La entrada Keiko’s Government to Assess Economic Impact of Public Holidays in Peru se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.