Seeking employment in the UAE involves knowing several aspects of it in detail. Above all, you must learn the number of hours you have to work every week in the Emirates. In other words, you need to know about the UAE working hours.
In this article, you can discover all the info you need about working hours in the UAE. Furthermore, it includes how the UAE labour law establishes annual leave and overtime in the country. Thus, schedule your work in the Emirates after discussing the following topics:
- What law establishes working hours in the UAE?
- The UAE’s new working hours
- Do the UAE labour law working hours consider Ramadan?
- Mandatory breaks according to the UAE labour law
- What articles of the UAE labour law relate to overtime?
- The working days in the UAE today
- What public holidays does the UAE have nowadays?
- Understanding annual leave in the UAE today
- Does the UAE labour law include compassionate leave?
- Hajj and Umrah Leave
- Where can you find more insights about the UAE working hours?
1. What law establishes working hours in the UAE?
One activity you can do to begin working in the UAE is to apply for a freelance work permit. However, such a permit does not reveal the law establishing working hours in the UAE today. Therefore, what piece of legislation sets up the UAE working hours?
Indeed, you need to review the UAE labour law to discover working hours in the UAE for the private sector. Moreover, this law also includes paragraphs related to annual leave and overtime in the Emirates. Thus, knowledge of it is essential to work in the UAE.
On the other hand, it is essential to mention that the UAE labour law does not dictate standard salary and minimum wage in Dubai. Instead, you will find new working hours in the UAE in 2022, but not for government employees, municipal workers, and domestic servants.
In short, you can learn about the UAE’s new working hours through the UAE labour law and regulations that apply to financial free zones. Hence, you can review it to discover them in detail. Or, you can jump to our following subject to do the same.
2. The UAE new labour law 2022 working hours
Indeed, article 65 of the UAE labour law establishes the maximum number of UAE working hours as 8 hours per day or 48 hours a week. Moreover, it also set up a maximum of nine daily hours for employees of restaurants, hotels, and other specific industries.
In this sense, every company in the UAE selects its working pattern. However, most private companies in the country work from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., including organizations with employees who have a UAE remote work visa. In summary, this is the schedule for the UAE working week.
Therefore, the maximum number of UAE labour law working hours per week is 48. But you may wonder if those hours include religious periods like Ramadan. Fortunately, our following subject will reveal how the UAE labour law relates to them.
Undoubtedly, the UAE is a country where the cost of living allows you to enjoy several financial advantages. Nevertheless, you need to know the UAE working days to schedule your work adequately. Let us review which part of the UAE labour law indicates this feature.
3. Do the UAE labour law working hours consider Ramadan?
Working in the UAE through a freelance permit allows you to distribute your work timings freely. Nonetheless, you cannot avoid wondering if the private sector working hours in the UAE in 2022 consider Ramadan. Let us discuss what the UAE labour law says about it in detail.
Indeed, article 65 of the UAE labour law also states how the UAE working hours change during Ramadan. In essence, companies must reduce their working hours in the UAE by two hours per day. As a result, Islamic employees can follow this religious tradition adequately.
In summary, you may consider this reduction of the UAE working week as a break. But it will surprise you to know that the UAE labour law also dictates mandatory breaks.
4. Mandatory breaks according to the UAE labour law
Similarly to article 65 of the UAE labour law, this legislation includes paragraphs related to mandatory breaks. After all, no freelance model in Dubai should work for several hours without one. Let us reveal what UAE authorities added to the law about it.
In this sense, article 66 of the UAE labour law states that you should not work more than five hours without a break. Moreover, it also establishes that such a break should be at least one hour. Ergo, it is time for you can use to learn about the Green Visa UAE.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that temperatures in the UAE reach high numbers during summer. Therefore, you should not work in a place with direct sunlight between 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. between June and September. Namely, your job should have two shifts: morning and evening.
Now, is lunch break included in working hours in the UAE? Yes, it is. Above all, lunch is an essential part of the mandatory break in the country. Hence, use your rest hour to attend a good restaurant with your coworkers. You deserve it.
5. What articles of the UAE labour law relate to overtime?
Unfortunately, working as a freelancer in Dubai may involve using more hours than you scheduled. In other words, you may have to work beyond the UAE new labour law 2022 working hours. Let us review how the UAE labour law deals with overtime in the country.
Overtime regulations in the UAE belong to articles 67 to 69 of the UAE labour law. More specifically, article 69 states that you should not exceed two UAE labour law overtime hours per day in the country. Indeed, it applies to every employee, including from a car insurance company.
Moreover, article 67 of the UAE labour law establishes that every hour beyond the standard UAE working hours generates payments for the standard hourly rate plus 25%. It can even increase to 50% if your overtime hours locate between 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.
In short, you can increase your income by working beyond the new working hours in the UAE. However, think about how many days are off in the UAE to allow you to rest. Ergo, it is time you learn about the UAE working week in detail.
6. The working days in the UAE today
Unlike the western world, where the working week goes from Monday to Friday, the UAE uses different business days. Indeed, the UAE labour law establishes Friday as an official day off due to being the Islamic holy day. Logically, it is not a part of the UAE government working hours.
In this sense, employees in the UAE’s maternity insurance industry and others use a UAE working week of five days, from Sunday to Thursday. As a result, the weekend in the country includes Friday and Saturday. It tells you how many days are off in the UAE per week.
Furthermore, most private companies in Dubai use six UAE working days per week, taking only Fridays off. On the contrary, they can request employees in the property insurance business to work on a Friday with a substitute rest day or 150% of their regular daily wage.
7. What public holidays does the UAE have nowadays?
As of 2023, the UAE has 14 public holidays, including Arafat Day and the Islamic New Year. However, you may wonder if the new working hours in the UAE include these public holidays. We will use this topic to show how the UAE labour law handles this matter.
Above all, no employer can request an employee to include a holiday in their UAE’s new working hours. On the contrary, article 74 of the UAE labour law establishes that such days represent an official leave with full pay. This statement applies to all businesses, including travel insurance companies.
Last, it is worth mentioning that, according to article 81, employees in the UAE can approve a request to work on a holiday. But, their employers must give them a substitute day of leave plus 50% of their regular salary. Besides, they can also give them 150% of their wage.
8. Understanding annual leave in the UAE today
Applying for a Dubai residence visa requires having a job in the UAE today. However, every company in the Emirates allows you to enjoy annual leave in the UAE. Indeed, the UAE labour law talks about it in articles 75 to 78. So, let us discuss in this subject.
Article 78 of the UAE labour law states that you should receive your basic salary and housing allowance during annual leave in the UAE. Furthermore, this period will be 30 calendar days if your length of employment is more than a year with the same employer.
On the other hand, you can also enjoy two days of annual leave in the UAE per month worked if your length of service is between six months and one year. Besides, remember that your employer is the one who decides when you can take it.
In summary, you can enjoy annual leave in the UAE by working the necessary labour law in the UAE working hours. However, article 78 of the UAE labour law states that you should enjoy it during the following year of employment. Consequently, you can use it to travel and rest.
9. Does the UAE labour law include compassionate leave?
Compassionate leave relates to how many days are off in the UAE regarding the death of a family member. Assuredly, it is a moment you do not want to live through your accident insurance. But, it is logical to think that the UAE labour law says something about it.
Unfortunately, the UAE working hours do not include compassionate leave according to the UAE labour law. Indeed, most companies that use private sector working hours in the UAE in 2022 define compassionate leave as a part of annual leave in the UAE. Nonetheless, it is different for government employees.
Keep in mind that employees using UAE government working hours do not follow the UAE labour law. Therefore, they have better chances of enjoying compassionate leave in the case of the death of a relative. As a result, they can be with their family in such a difficult moment.
10. Hajj and Umrah Leave
Finally, it is essential to mention how the working hours in the UAE for the private sector include Hajj and Umrah Leave. Both concepts apply to the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is why it can involve a leave period of 30 days if it relates to Hajj.
11. Did you decide to move to the UAE to work?
It is excellent news. Nevertheless, we recommend not taking the trip without understanding employment in the country. More specifically, it is essential to learn how the UAE labour law establishes the UAE working hours today.
By all odds, finding a job that involves the UAE labour law working hours may seem attractive. However, we think you can do better by finding a way to schedule your work with freedom.
You can also enter the freelancing business or take Freelance Visa and find projects in the land of opportunities in Dubai with our help at Connect Freelance.
Allow us to help you use the UAE working hours as a freelancer. Feel free to contact us to discover how your UAE working week can be. Get in touch with our team via email at contact@connectfreelance.ae or call us at +971 43 316 688 today.
Working as a freelancer requires you to find jobs quickly and efficiently. Fortunately, you can do that through our excellent job offers at The Talent Point. So, click on thetalentpoint.com and begin this new professional journey. We can also assist you via email at contact@thetalentpoint.com.