UAE President approves amendments to Federal Labor Law granting private sector employees parental leave to care for children

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has approved the amendments to the Labor law, granting the employees in the private sector a paid leave to care for the child.

The UAE will be the first Arab country to grant parental leave to employees in the private sector.

The decree aims to further cement family cohesion and stability, enhance UAE’s position and competitiveness in the field of gender balance, and encourage young talents to work in the private sector. The paid parental leave is the latest benefit for employees in the private sector.

The decree stipulates that the employee in the private sector shall be granted a paid “parental leave” for a period of five working days to care for the child, due from the date of the child’s birth until the completion of six months.

The step strengthens the position of the UAE in the field of gender balance and enhances it efforts to create a competitive model that supports the work environment in the private sector and it is also aligned with the UAE strategy to prepare for the next fifty years