Huge win for expats! Not one or two, 13 days of paid leave, applicable to all employees in UAE

ABU DHABI: Lakhs of Malayalees are working in the Gulf countries. They visit homes when they get a month or two of leave in a year. Now, there is good news for expatriates in the UAE. Next year, in addition to the annual leave, they will get 13 paid public holidays. This will give expatriates the opportunity to spend more time with their families.

Private sector employees usually get 30 days of annual leave with salary. However, the UAE government has announced that public holidays during this period will be considered part of the annual leave. It will vary depending on the company's policy.

Details of holidays

According to the 2027 calendar, January 1 falls on a Friday. Since Saturday and Sunday are holidays, three days of holidays can be taken together. Eid al-Fitr is expected to begin on Tuesday, March 9. However, if Ramadan lasts 29 days, there will be three days of public holidays until Thursday, March 11. If Ramadan lasts until 30, there will be holidays until Friday, March 12. When this is combined with Saturday and Sunday, there will be a total of six days of holidays.

There will be a four-day Day of Arafah and Eid al-Adha holiday from Saturday, May 15 to Tuesday, May 18. The two-day Eid al-Ittihad holiday in December is Thursday, December 2, and Friday, December 3. When you add Saturday and Sunday, you get four days holidays.