Employees who are looking to pursue their career in UAE often come up with a question, “What are the working hours in UAE”?
To find answers to this question and get full details of working hours in UAE, read the blog below.
The major source of Employment Law in the UAE is Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 (UAE Labour Law). So, this law applies to all full-time employees who are working in the UAE, with the exception of government and municipal employees, domestic servants and agricultural workers.
Furthermore, this blog covers all the details regarding legal working hours in UAE, overtime and other related matters.
Rules on Working Hours in UAE
- According to Article 65 of UAE Labour Law, the maximum working hours in UAE per day is 8 hours, that is 48 hours per week. But it can be 9 hours for those employees who are working in the hotel industry.
- For those working in some risky fields, there may be a decline in the number of working hours in UAE.
- Working hours in UAE patterns may vary from company to company but a working culture of 9 AM to 6 PM is common in the private sector.
Rest periods, meals and prayers: Working Hours in UAE
There is a famous saying that that goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.
This statement states that along with work it is necessary to provide rest periods, meals and prayer time to employees to ensure that employees get sufficient rest time to recover. The following are the rest period rules according to UAE Labour Law:
- Workers should not work continuously for five hours without stopping for rest, meals or prayers as it can result in health issues.
- The total period for this should not be less than one hour.
- For jobs that involve continuous hours of work without interruption, the Ministry of Labour regulates the rest periods, meals and prayers for them
Overtime (Article 67 and Article 68) in UAE
UAE Labour Law states the rule for overtime of employees in the organization. Overtime refers to the amount of time that employees work over and above the normal working hours. Following are the overtime rules for organizations:
- If an employee is required to work beyond his normal working hours, then his salary amounts to regular hourly wage plus 25% of the defined rate. According to Article 69 states that under no circumstances the overtime working hours exceed two hours.
- If an employee provides overtime between 9 pm and 4 am then that employee is entitled to a regular hourly wage plus 50% of the defined rate. This rule does not apply to those employees who are working in shifts.
Rest Day (Article 70) in UAE
It is necessary to provide a rest day to all the employees.
- UAE had moved its Friday-Saturday weekend to Saturday-Sunday weekend. This reform came on January 1, 2022.
- Working hours in UAE for public sector employees now start at 7:30 am and run till 3:30 pm on Friday.
- The three day weekend for government employees was a huge success as it increases 88 percent overall productivity in all government agencies.
- Employees in the government have to work Monday through Thursday, with a three-day weekend off from Friday through Sunday.
Public holidays in UAE
- Specific guidelines are outlined in the UAE Labour Law about working on public holidays in the UAE.
- Article 74 of UAE Labour Law states that employees are entitled to official leave with full pay on account of public holidays
- Article 81 states that if under any circumstances employees had to work on public holidays they would receive:
- A substitute leave and 50% payout of their daily wage.
- Or, the payment of 150% of their daily wage
Annual Leave Salary Calculation
An employee’s entitlement to 30 days of annual leave per calendar year grows for each additional year of employment.
Employees with more than six months but less than a year of service are eligible for two leaves for each month of service.
Under the following conditions, the employer can ask employees to work on their annual leaves:
- Annual leave should be carried forward to the next year
- The employee’s basic pay + the leave allowance for the number of days worked is how the UAE Labour Law’s Article 78 calculates annual leave payments.
Compassionate Leave
The UAE Labour Law does not entitle employees to get compassionate leaves for the death of family members.
Therefore, those workers who are working in the private sector, such leave purely depends upon the final discretion of the employer. Additionally, employers can count compassionate leave as part of their annual leave.
They enjoy enhanced rights as compared to those employed in the private sector.
Hajj Leave - Pilgrimage Leave
Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is a mandatory religious duty of all Muslims working in the UAE.
People who are financially and physically capable must carry out this sacred duty at least once in a lifetime. UAE labour law states that employees are entitled to 30 days of unpaid leave for the hajj.
