DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates is slashing its authentic operating week to four-and-a-half days and shifting its weekend to Saturday and Sunday in a big shift geared toward making improvements to competitiveness, officers mentioned the day prior to this. The “nationwide operating week” is obligatory for presidency our bodies from Jan 1 and dollars the regional norm of a complete day without work on Friday for Muslim prayers.
Scott Livermore, leader economist at Oxford Economics Heart East, an advisory company, mentioned companies may select their operating week however have been more likely to align with the general public sector. Whilst turning into the one Gulf nation to not have a Friday-Saturday weekend, the resource-rich and impressive UAE now comes into line with the non-Arab international.
Below the brand new timetable, the public-sector weekend begins at midday on Fridays and ends on Sunday. Friday prayers at mosques might be held after 1:15 pm. The transfer, which additionally comprises colleges, is meant to “higher align the UAE with international markets”, mentioned state information company WAM, calling the brand new operating week the sector’s shortest. “The UAE is the primary country on the earth to introduce a countrywide operating week shorter than the worldwide five-day week,” it mentioned.
The Western-style weekend, rumored for years, was once introduced lower than every week after the previous British protectorate celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its formation. The UAE noticed a Thursday-Friday weekend till 2006, when it moved to Fridays and Saturdays. “The prolonged weekend comes as a part of the UAE executive’s efforts to spice up work-life steadiness and support social wellbeing, whilst expanding efficiency to advance the UAE’s financial competitiveness,” the WAM file mentioned. It added that the exchange “will higher align the UAE with international markets, reflecting the rustic’s strategic standing at the international financial map.”
The brand new association is any other daring step for the UAE, which ultimate 12 months broke with many years of Arab consensus through normalizing members of the family with the Zionist entity, unlocking loads of tens of millions of greenbacks in business. It provides the UAE the bounce on regional competition together with neighboring Saudi Arabia, the Arab international’s biggest economic system which is looking for a better world presence because it diversifies its economic system clear of oil.
The modified week was once normally welcomed on social media, the place the topic was once trending and the authentic bulletins have been extensively retweeted. Manoj, an IT employee in Dubai’s Industry Bay district, mentioned the Friday-Saturday weekend had lengthy led to issues when operating with purchasers in numerous nations. “I believe it’s an excellent step as a result of taking part with other purchasers out of the country all the time supplies an issue, as a result of we don’t seem to be operating on Fridays and they aren’t operating on Sundays,” he mentioned. “So there’s a hole of like 3 days earlier than we if truth be told sync up.”
Monica, a monetary sector employee, mentioned: “I believe it’s excellent from a world standpoint that we’re in step with the sector, with the globe. “And in relation to having the additional half-day on Friday, I believe it really works smartly as a result of it is going to give us extra time with circle of relatives.”
Livermore, of Oxford Economics Heart East, instructed AFP the alignment with Europe and Asia “will assist the world over oriented trade which can be crucial pillar of the economic system and may draw in funding.” On the similar time, “a shorter operating week does provide some demanding situations in relation to managing output prices, despite the fact that there may be some proof {that a} shorter operating week can spice up productiveness of the team of workers,” he added. – AFP
