The UAE will introduce a four-and-a-half-day workweek from January 1, 2022, the shortest official workweek in the world. The government said the UAE weekend change is part of its efforts to boost productivity and improve work-life balance. “#UAE announces today that it will transition to a four and a half-day working week, with Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday forming the new weekend,” the UAE Government Media Office (@UAEGov) said on Twitter. “All Federal government departments will move to the new weekend from January 1, 2022,” it said.

The UAE weekend change was rumoured to be in the making for some months now. The UAE’s bold decision to officially reduce the working week to 4.5 days makes it the first country in the world to implement a national work week that is shorter than the global norm of a five-day week.

At present, the UAE’s working week is Sunday to Thursday, with Fridays and Saturdays being the official weekend.

The new system means federal government staff will work 36.5 hours a week, 90 minutes longer than their current work timings of 35 hours. However, officials said there will be a possibility of flexible working hours and workers will be given the option to work from home on Fridays.

Friday sermon and prayers will now start at 1:15 pm across all seven emirates, it was announced.

The governments of Dubai and Abu Dhabi emirates said their employees would align with the UAE weekend change. The shift will see schools and colleges, and several private sector companies follow suit. No specific instructions or guidance has been made for the private sector. In the private sector, companies do not require the government’s permission to set their working week. Public holidays that were set out for 2022 will not change.

Longer weekend = increased competitiveness

The extended weekend comes as part of the UAE government’s efforts to boost work-life balance and enhance social wellbeing. The rationale is that happier employees will perform better and advance the UAE’s economic competitiveness.

“Adopting an agile working system will enable the UAE to rapidly respond to emerging changes and enhance wellbeing in the workplace,” state news agency Wam said in a report.

From an economic perspective, the new working week will better align the UAE with global markets, reflecting the country’s strategic status on the global economic map. It will ensure smooth financial, trade and economic transactions with countries that follow a Saturday/Sunday weekend, facilitating stronger international business links and opportunities for thousands of UAE-based and multinational companies.

The new working week will also bring the UAE’s financial sector into closer alignment with global real-time trading and communications-based transactions such as those driving global stock markets, banks and financial institutions

The new working week will also bring the UAE’s financial sector into closer alignment with global real-time trading and communications-based transactions such as those driving global stock markets, banks and financial institutions. The move is expected to boost not only trading opportunities but also add to the flexible, secure and enjoyable lifestyle the UAE offers to its citizens and residents.

The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources proposed the new workweek following comprehensive benchmarking and feasibility studies reflecting potential impacts of the move on the economy, social and family ties and the overall wellbeing of people in the UAE.

UAE’s journey from six-day-working week to 4.5 days

Between 1971 and 1999, the country had an official six-day working week, with just Friday as a government-mandated day off. Thursday was added to create a two-day weekend in 1999.

The country observed a Thursday-Friday weekend from 1999 until 2006 when it moved to Fridays and Saturdays with the private sector following suit.

UAE has become a popular destination for expats given the high standard of living it offers

Almost 9 out of every 10 UAE residents are foreigners, or expatriates as they are better known in this part of the world. It is one of the most liberal countries in the Gulf. Over the past decade, the UAE has become a popular destination for expats given the high standard of living it offers. Earlier this month, Dubai was ranked as the best city in the region and third in the world for expats to live and work abroad in 2021.