Mashable: The Muslim community across the world will celebrate the Islamic month of Ramadan this week. It is expected to begin on the evening of Friday, February 28, and end on Sunday, March 30, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. Ramadan is denoted as the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and is considered one of the holiest periods to worship.

Muslims fast from dawn to dusk and are expected to abstain from eating, drinking, and bad habits. The end of the fasting period is marked with dates, water, and a meal. The auspicious month approximately lasts for around 29-30 days. To mark the special occasion, UAE has announced reduced work hours for both public and private employees.

On Sunday, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources announced the official working hours for Government employees. From Monday to Thursday, the working hours will be 9 am to 2.30 pm, while on Fridays it will be 9 am to 12 pm. Employees in the public sector are expected to work 3.5 hours less from Monday to Thursday and 4.5 hours less on Friday. However, exceptions may apply for employees who work at different hours.

The Ministry announces a reduction of 2 working hours per day for private sector employees during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The Ministry said: “In accordance with the requirements and nature of their work, companies may apply flexible or remote work patterns within the limits… pic.twitter.com/2pH9qUcmkX — وزارة الموارد البشرية والتوطين (@MOHRE_UAE) February 24, 2025

In addition to this, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced that the working hours for employees working in the private sector will be reduced by two hours. It is important to note that exceptions may apply according to the nature of work and working patterns.