UAE Dubai/IBNS: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will have a four and half-day working week with a Saturday-Sunday weekend, starting 2022 to better align its economy with global markets.
Being an international trade and tourism hub, the oil-producing Gulf country will have Friday-Saturday weekend January 1, 2022, implying that the weekend will start on Friday afternoon.
UAE is taking steps to make its economy attractive amid growing rivalry with Saudi Arabia which is taking diversifying its economy beyond its crude oil resources.
The working week for government entities would start on Monday and end on Friday at 12 noon, before the prayers.
The government said the move would “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.”
Mohammed Ali Yasin, chief strategy officer at Al Dhabi Capital, said the financial sector would benefit from being able to make simultaneous payment settlements with developed markets and the tourism industry would also be a beneficiary.
“It could be a good experiment for other countries in the region,” he said.
Friday is a weekly holiday in many predominantly Muslim countries.
In order to attract and retain foreign talent in its race to be a dominant economy in the region, the UAE has liberalised laws regarding cohabitation before marriage, alcohol and personal status laws in addition to introducing longer-term visas.
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