UAE
Midday work ban during summer heat
Impact date: 15 June 2025 to 15 September 2025 The MoHRE has enforced an annual midday work ban prohibiting outdoor work under direct sunlight from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM during summer. The regulation aims to protect workers’ health and safety during peak heat hours with limited exceptions for urgent or unavoidable tasks. Employers must comply by adjusting work schedules, providing shaded rest areas, and ensuring adequate hydration for employees.
Employer implications/action needed Employers must adjust work schedules to avoid outdoor activities during the prohibited hours, provide shaded rest areas for employees and ensure access to sufficient drinking water. These measures help maintain compliance with the midday break rule while safeguarding workers’ health in extreme heat. Proper planning and monitoring are essential to prevent violations and protect employee well-being.
Employer risk Failure to comply with the midday work ban can lead to fines and inspection notices from MoHRE. It also increases the risk of employees suffering heat-related illnesses. Such breaches may cause legal, financial, and reputational harm to the employer.
Emiratisation – Mid-year 1% workforce quota
Impact date: 1 July 2025 Private companies with 50 or more employees are required to meet a further increase to 7% of Emirati nationals in their workforce. This requirement supports the UAE’s Emiratisation strategy to increase local participation of Emiratis in the private sector, with the goal that 10% of all private sector employers’ skilled workers are Emirati by the end of 2026.
Employer implications/action needed Employers should register all Emirati hires in the MoHRE system to ensure they are counted toward the Emiratisation quota. Compliance should be verified ahead of the reporting deadline to avoid penalties. Accurate record-keeping supports both legal requirements and smooth inspection processes.
Employer risk Non-compliance will result in fines imposed by the authorities. Employers could also lose access to certain Government benefits and incentives. Such breaches can damage the company’s reputation and affect stakeholder trust.
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Remote work contracts
Impact date: 1 July 2025 Remote work contracts in the UAE now fall under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021. Employers must clearly define work hours, location, performance criteria, and ensure equal pay, benefits, and compliance with tax/visa rules. All requirements must be managed through the MoHRE online system.
Employer implications/action needed Employers should update all remote work contracts to reflect the new requirements, ensure MOHRE system compliance and review payroll/tax processes for alignment.
Employer risk Non-compliance could lead to contractual disputes, fines, or penalties under UAE labor law.
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Health and safety
Impact date: 28 July 2025 Dubai has passed a new public health law, outlining a wide range of measures to improve community health and reduce disease transmission. Specifically, the law contains provisions requiring food-related establishments, owners of labor accommodations and entities in the field of public health pest control to comply with applicable legislation related to the health and safety of their employees and other training requirements.
Employer implications/action needed Employers in specific sectors will need to align their operations with the new public health requirements. All employers will need to cooperate with public entities by providing any required data and information that may be applicable for the benefit of public health.
Employer risk High risk of penalties for non-compliance.
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