The UAE government has announced a four and a half day working week for all public sector employees. The weekend has been changed to Saturday and Sunday, with Friday set as a half day.
The new system will be effective from January 1, 2022, in all federal government entities, and aims to align the UAE with global markets, reflecting the nation’s strategic status on the global economic map.
The new system of the working week will also include new official working hours. Public sector employees will work for eight hours from Monday to Thursday, starting from 7.30am to 3.30pm. On Fridays the work schedule will be from 7.30am till 12 noon, with possibility of flexible working hours and work-from-home (WFH) options. Friday sermons and prayers will be held after 1.15pm all year long in the UAE.
With this, the resource-rich UAE becomes the only country in the Gulf not to have a Friday-Saturday weekend, coming in line with the non-Arab world.
The longer weekends are aimed at boosting productivity and improve work-life balance.
