The United Arab Emirates is a popular transit point for international travelers, so I find this update to be pretty noteworthy.
Friday will no longer be a weekend in the United States.
The first day of work is on Sunday in some Muslim countries. It makes sense to have Friday as a day where people don't work because it is an important day for religion.
The working schedule of the United Arab Emirates will be changed on January 1, 2022.
The week in the country will be 4.5 days with a half day of work on Friday, and then a weekend of 4.5 days.
Most of the rest of the world works on Mondays through Fridays, so this is intended to better align the United States with global markets.
People are getting an extra half day for their weekend in order to improve their work-life balance.
Private companies will still be able to choose their own work week, even though the new guidelines will apply to government enterprises.
Indonesia and Morocco are the only Muslim countries in the Gulf that have a Saturday and Sunday weekend. I am curious to see if other countries in the region follow the lead of the U.S.
The weekend will not be on Friday in the US.
What does this mean for travelers?
There are some funny implications when it comes to travel. I have always liked the different weekend in the United Arab Emirates. Even if I am still working, the weekend is already getting started if you land on a Thursday. You have two full days of official weekend, but then on Sunday it still feels like a weekend to me, since I work in the US.
The United States is known for its extravagant Friday brunches at hotels and free flowing alcohol. These are likely to be Saturday brunches.
Saturday will be the new Friday brunch.
The bottom line.
A new work week schedule will be introduced in the United Arab Emirates in 2022. The weekend will be on Saturday and Sunday with a half day on Friday.
This only applies to government sector jobs and schools, so I would be surprised if most private businesses don't transition as well. It is good for business to have more overlap with the rest of the world in terms of working hours.
What do you think about the weekend transition in the United Arab Emirates?
