Saudi Arabia Denies Considering a Four Day Work Week

Misbar looked into the claim and discovered it to be false. The Misbar team found that the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development denied the claim of considering a four-day work week by researching credible sources. Their spokesperson, Saad Al Hammad, issued a statement on their official Twitter account saying that what the media is reporting is false. The claim and subsequent denial following the minister's press conference on Wednesday about reconsidering the weekly work system to four or four and a half days. According to the statement, the ministry is conducting a periodic review of their entire labor systems, including applicable regulations, with the goal of increasing job creation and attracting both domestic and international investments, not specifically a shorter work week.

This year, the UAE became the first Gulf country to implement a four-day work week, which went into effect on January 1, 2022. Last year, Saudi Arabia implemented several major labor reforms, including regulating expatriate work visa entry and exit without the employee's approval and allowing job mobility. Based on the findings, the Misbar team confirms that the claim is false and that Saudi Arabia is reviewing their entire work system, not just the length of the work week.