Turning in the United Arab Emirates. The government has decided to
change the weekend from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday
and establish a
four and a half day working week
. The rules will take effect
on January 1
, according to the official Wam news agency. In addition to Saturday-Sunday, the inhabitants of the Emirates will have an additional half day of rest on
Friday afternoon, the day of the great
weekly
prayer
in Muslim countries. The UAE are the first nation in the world to introduce a shorter workweek.
A few days ago the Emirates celebrated the 50th anniversary of that 2 December 1971 in which they united following the departure of British troops from the region, after having been an English protectorate since 1892.
In 50 years, the country has become the second economic powerhouse of the Arab world
after Saudi Arabia. Driven by the great oil wealth, the Emirates have in fact abandoned their humble origins to become one of the largest economic and political players in the Middle East. A power symbolized by the
forest of skyscrapers of Dubai
, the financial center of the country that owns the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa of 830 meters.
Among the main producers of OPEC crude oil, the rapid growth of the federation was driven by the wealth of oil and gas and is witnessed by the transition from a population of 300,000 inhabitants to 10 million today, 90% of which are foreigners. most without the right to citizenship due to the strict rules in force in the country.
Having diversified its economy over the decades,
the federation
today
wants to depend less and less on its oil and gas resources, diversifying in particular through tourism or finance.
Two sectors that could be facilitated by the turnaround on weekends.
