Working Hours & Overtime Provisions in the Private Sector in the UAE

In the UAE, private sector employees are required to work 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week. During the holy month of Ramadan, working hours are reduced by 2. Here are the main provisions related to working hours and overtime in the private sector in the UAE.

Working Hours Provisions in the Private Sector in the UAE

Article 17 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regulating labor relations in the private sector sets the normal working hours for the private sector at 8 hours a day, or 48 hours a week, and daily working hours may increase or decrease for certain economic sectors or certain categories of workers, as determined by the Executive Regulations of the Labor Law.

It is mentioned that the time an employee spends moving from his place of residence to his place of work is not included in the working hours, with the exception of certain categories of workers as explained in the Executive Regulations of the Labor Law.

If the employee requests to perform his work remotely, whether from inside the country or from abroad, the employer must specify working hours.

The employee has the right to one or more breaks if he works five consecutive hours. These rest periods shall not be less than one hour, provided that rest periods shall not be counted during working hours.

Overtime Provisions in the Private Sector in the UAE

The employer may ask the employee to work for additional hours, provided that the number of additional hours does not exceed two hours per day. In case the nature of the work requires the employee to work outside normal working hours, then the employee is entitled to a wage equal to the wage for normal working hours (based on the basic salary) in addition to 25% of this wage, and it can increase to 50% if the overtime work is requested between 10 PM and 4 AM. It is noteworthy that this does not apply to workers who work on a shift basis.

If circumstances require that the employee work on his day off, as specified in the employment contract, or labor regulations, the worker is entitled to an alternate rest day, or a wage equal to the wage of normal working hours (based on the basic salary) in addition to 50% of this salary.

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