Saudi private sector likely to get 2-day weekend soon

Saudi Arabia is inching closer to introducing a two-day weekend for the private sector, thus aligning the working week with the public sector.

Arab News, an English daily, said the Shoura Council will issue an amended labour law that will bring in a five-day working week for private sector staff.

“The Shoura is currently finalising amendments to 20 articles of the labour law to fix weekly working hours of employees in the private sector,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying.

Higher authorities recently returned a study prepared by the Shoura asking the consultative body to reduce the number of weekly working hours in the private sector from 48 to 40, a measure that was required to provide a two-day weekend to private sector workers.

The Labor Ministry had previously reached an agreement with businesses to reduce the weekly working hours from 48 to 45, the newspaper said.

“The higher authorities have instructed the Shoura to cut the working hours further to 40 per week,” the source said.

The move is aimed at encouraging Saudi youths to work in the private sector. Most Saudis prefer to work in the public sector where working hours do not exceed 35 weekly.

The Saudi government estimates 12 per cent of Saudis are currently unemployed, while nine-tenths of workers in the private sector are overseas workers.

Last month, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Minister of Presidential Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, announced the move to adjust the holidays, aiming to make the private sector jobs more appealing for Emiratis.

“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,” Sheikh Mansour was quoted as saying.

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