working days in UAE for public and private sector

Last Updated on December 23, 2021

The UAE government has shifted the weekend for government employees from Friday to Saturday and Sunday. The previous holiday Friday will be a half-day for work. The new working days in the UAE will begin in early 2022.

The working days will apply for the federal and state government employees, however, for the private sector, it isn’t clear if the same rules will apply.

According to a federal government announcement, the following are the working hours for government personnel in the United Arab Emirates.

  1. Monday until Thursday, 7.30am to 3.30pm
  2. Friday from 7.30am to 12pm.

This new holiday law applies not only to government employees but also to schools in the United Arab Emirates. Schools, whether public or private, are open four days a week.

The UAE has emerged as a regional economic hub for multinational corporations as well as a popular destination for global talent. Many revisions have been made to the country’s labor law to overcome the gaps that exist when compared to a world-class labor market.

After the implementation of this law, the UAE became the first country in the world to implement a national working day that is shorter than the global five-day a week.

Every week, government employees need to work four days and a half of Friday because it is the payer day for Islam.

What are the working days for the private sector in the UAE?

The UAE labor law provides employees with one day off each week or four days per month. Although the new degree makes no reference to the private sector, it encourages private sector employers and employees to arrange their workdays prior to signing the contract.

It means that if you and your employer have agreed to work four days and a half-day on Fridays each week, this arrangement is legally binding.

Although the private sector will have the flexibility to decide the weekend in the initial stage, ultimately the government’s intention is to implement this initiative to both privates and the public sector.

Flexibility in work hours helps to increase worker productivity, so, this initiative will impact the private sector’s work environment in the long run.

Weekend days in Dubai have already been set up according to this degree while other Emirates are already under ways to implement it.

 

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Ranga
Hello, everyone, I am Ranga Singh the founder of closecareer.com. For the past 17yrs, I worked in aboard. Now, I have been researching the job market, especially in the Gulf region. The main purpose of the website is to give information, advice, and guidance to the people about the job, education visa and travel. I want to support young people for a happy and successful career.

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