Saudi Arabia sets rules for overtime work

The Saudi Arabian government has approved rules for overtime work for employees at state institutions.

The decree, published by the Saudi Official Gazette Umm Al Qura, authorises all public institutions with independent administrative and financial regulations to assign some of their employees to work after the official work hours and during the official holidays as well as the two Muslim feasts of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha without the need to submit related requests for approval.

According to the Council of Ministers’ decree, certain rules should be observed while giving the overtime work assignments.

For one, the assignment should conform to these institutions’ financial and administrative regulations endorsed by their respective boards of directors.

Moreover, in agreement with the ministries of finance and human resources, each institution should put controls ensuring that the assignment is based on necessary needs of the work.

The decree also stipulates that financial allocations resulting from the assignment should be provided from these institutions’ own budgets without placing any extra financial burden on the state budget.

Saudi Arabia, a country of around 32.2 million people, is home to a large community of foreign workers.

In recent years, the kingdom has sought to regulate the labour market and boost its attractiveness.

In 2020, Saudi Arabia introduced major labour reforms, drastically improving its sponsorship system.

The reforms, which went into effect in the ensuing year, allow job mobility and regulate the exit and re-entry visa issuance for expatriate work-ers without employers’ approval.

Employee mobility allows expatriate workers to transfer between employers upon the expiry of the binding work contract without the employer’s consent.

The exit and re-entry visa reforms, meanwhile, allow expatriate workers to travel outside Saudi Arabia without the employers’ approval after submitting a request.