Who is exempt from the maximum working hours in the UAE?
Article 15 of Cabinet Resolution No. 1 of 2022 exempts board chairs and members, people in supervisory positions with the employer's authority, ship crews and seafarers on special terms, continuous-shift workers whose average does not exceed 56 hours a week, and preparatory or supplementary work that must happen outside normal hours.
On this page
What supervisory position means
The exemption covers positions that give the holder the employer's authority. A foreman who directs a crew but cannot hire, fire or discipline is unlikely to qualify, so his overtime is still capped and paid.
Continuous shift work
Work that technically must run continuously in successive shifts is exempt from the eight-hour cap if the average stays at or below 56 hours a week. Concrete pours and tunnelling may qualify; ordinary day work does not.
How SupaJack Construct handles it
The working hours policy holds the 8-hour day, 48-hour week and 2-hour daily overtime cap. Overtime reaches payroll only after a manager approves it, so time recorded for an exempt manager is not paid as overtime unless someone 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 contractor's project director has authority to hire and dismiss. He is exempt from the 8 and 48 hour limits. His site foremen, who cannot, remain subject to them and are paid overtime for approved hours over eight a day.
Questions people ask
Are all managers exempt?
Only those whose position gives them the employer's authority.
What is the shift-work average?
Up to 56 hours a week.
Can the Minister define these jobs?
Yes, by resolution.