UAE transitions to 4.5-day workweek with aim to boost work-life balance

DUBAI: The UAE will shift to a working week of four and half days with a Saturday-sunday weekend from the start of next year to better align its economy with global markets, but private companies will be free to choose their own working week.

The decision, which is to take effect next month, makes the Gulf Arab federation one of the few countries in the Middle East to operate on western hours instead of on a Sunday through Thursday week. Lebanon and Turkey also follow a Mondayfriday workweek.

The Gulf state, the region’s commercial, trade and tourism hub, currently has a Friday-saturday weekend. From January 1, however, the weekend will start on Friday afternoon, including for schools, a circular said.

The long-rumoured shift comes as the UAE seeks to bolster its business and tourist appeal while emerging from the crisis of the Covid pandemic and facing stiffer regional competition, particularly with Saudi Arabia. Over the past year, the UAE has taken measures to make its economy more attractive to investment and talent at a time of growing economic rivalry with Saudi Arabia.

Addressing any religious sensitivities in the Sunni Muslimruled country, where expatriates make up most of the population, the government said work on Friday would end at 12 noon before Muslim prayers, which would be unified on Friday across the UAE. It said the longer weekend would improve employees’ work-life balance and noted that several majoritymuslim nations, such as Indonesia and Morocco, have Saturdaysunday weekends.

THE GOVT SAID A LONGER WEEKEND WILL HELP BETTER THE WORK-LIFE BALANCE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES