New weekend: UAE announces reduced working week

All Federal government departments will move to the new weekend from January 1, 2022

UAE announced on Tuesday that it will transition to a four-and-a half-day working week, with Friday afternoon, Saturday, and Sunday forming the new weekend. All Federal government departments will move to the new weekend from January 1, 2022.

The #UAE becomes the first nation in the world to officially introduce a national working week shorter than five days as it moves to 4.5 day week, Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday to be new weekend.
The Dubai and Abu Dhabi governments said their employees would adopt the same hours. The National understands all schools will move to the same working week on the first day of term, with hours expected to be announced soon.

The decision “will better align the Emirates with global markets, reflecting the country’s strategic status on the global economic map”, the UAE Government Media Office said.