Holidays boost to make private sector jobs more appealing to Emiratis

Private sector weekends and public holidays may soon be brought in line with those of government employees, suggests a report in the National.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, announced the move to adjust the holidays last week. Speaking on the second day of a Government Summit in Dubai, he said this was part of efforts to make private sector employment more appealing to Emiratis – a sector in which he said 30,000 new positions were available.

“The Minister of Labour has been assigned to adjust the working hours and days of the private sector to be more compatible with those of the public sector,” said Sheikh Mansour.

Private sector employees work up to 57 extra days a year

The current law only grants a day a week of mandatory rest for private sector workers, whereas government employees have two days off and are also allotted longer public holidays. As a result, many private sector employees work an extra 57 days a year.

Sheikh Mansour added, “There is a 57 working day gap each year between the two sectors. These issues need to be addressed and we are working on finding suitable solutions for it.”

About the author

Kazim Ladimeji is the Director of thecareercafe.co.uk—a resource for start-ups, small business and job seekers. It includes a blog with career and small business advice articles. Kazim is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and has been a practising HR professional for 14 years.

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