What are the normal working hours in the UAE private sector?
Eight hours a day or 48 hours a week. Article 17 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 sets that maximum, Article 19 allows up to two hours of overtime a day with total hours capped at 144 every three weeks, and Article 18 requires a break of at least an hour after five consecutive hours.
What counts as working time
Commuting between home and the workplace does not count, except for categories the Implementing Regulation names. Breaks are not part of working hours. On a site with buses from the labour camp, the bus ride is normally outside the 8 hours.
The Cabinet can raise or lower daily hours for some sectors or categories, and the Implementing Regulation sets the shorter hours in Ramadan.
Breaks on site
No worker may work more than five hours in a row without one or more breaks totalling at least an hour. Shift establishments and field jobs can arrange hours and breaks according to the regulation, which matters for sites running early starts in summer.
How SupaJack Construct measures hours
Punches from devices or the self-service app are paired into spans, scheduled hours come from the shift, and the overtime engine classifies anything beyond them under Article 19. Overtime reaches payroll only after a manager approves it.
Related tools and guides
See the UAE labour law guide for contractors, the final settlement calculator, the gratuity calculator, the annual leave calculator, the unpaid leave deduction calculator, payroll and WPS in SupaJack Construct, time and attendance and the meaning of basic salary.
Worked example
A shuttering carpenter works 6:00 to 17:00 with an hour's lunch at 11:00. That is 10 working hours, 8 normal and 2 overtime, which is the daily overtime limit. Over a six-day week that roster reaches 60 hours, so three such weeks would be 180 hours, above the 144-hour three-week cap.
Questions people ask
Is the lunch break paid working time?
No. Article 18 says breaks are not included in working hours.
Does the bus to site count?
Not normally. Article 17 excludes commuting except for categories the regulation names.
What is the three-week cap?
144 total hours every three weeks, under Article 19.
Are Ramadan hours shorter?
Yes. The Implementing Regulation sets them.