UAE switches weekend to Saturday and Sunday from January 2022
UAE has announced a new weekend, effective Saturday January 1, 2022. It will transition to a four and half day working week, with Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday forming the new weekend.
The massive UAE working week and weekend shift will no doubt impact everyone.
The nation has also become the first in the world to set up a national working week shorter than the global five-day week.
The public sector, including ministries, federal establishments, government offices, and schools, will be operating from Monday to Thursday, 8 hours a day, while on Fridays, work timings will be shortened to 4.5 working hours.
Government workers in all other Emirates will be working from Monday to Friday, with Friday serving as a half-day off.
In contrast to the other Emirates, Sharjah will have an entire three-day weekend, including Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The four working days will be from Monday to Thursday with working hours – 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Private sector on the other hand will be given the liberty to establish its own workweek. The private sector can opt for shorter working hours or continue with the current work hours but cannot exceed the limit of 48 hours per week.
