Bahrain could move its weekend from Saturday to Sunday to better align its economy with global markets.
The proposal by five parliamentarians led by Dr Ali Al Nuaimi would make Fridays a half-working day.
If approved, Bahrain could join the UAE, Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mauritania in introducing a four-and-a-half day working week.
The proposal was submitted to the Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee for consideration by Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al Musallam.
Committee Chairman Mohsin Al Asboul yesterday called all interested parties to a meeting next Monday to provide feedback on the proposals.
“I don’t think this transition will be damaging or have a negative impact on the way things are done, on the economy, on productivity,” Al Asboul said.
He added: “I would not single out Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mauritania as success stories, even though the UAE is closer and shows how beneficial this move is.”
“Again, what works for other GCC countries is not necessarily good or bad for our country, and that is what government officials have to show us through research.
“Logically, we have to keep pace with the world to make it more commerce friendly and continue as a strong trade and tourism hub.”
Dr Al Nuaimi told GDN that the weekend was not set in stone since it was changed 18 years ago to close the gap with the global market.
“The weekend in Bahrain used to be Thursday to Friday, then changed to the current Friday to Saturday, and now we are in a period of global integration by changing it to Saturday to Sunday,” he said. .
“Previously, the weekends did not match perfectly, which meant a loss of two days, but now it is just Sunday and hopefully such a gap will not exist every time a new weekend is approved. .”
“Some say this weekend will be fine, but with business opportunities that can change in an instant, every second counts.”
He added that this could create unprecedented opportunities for Bahrain.
“Most countries in the region still have the current system, and we believe that the sooner we act, the more market access we can create for the new weekend. It is clearly more realistic and beneficial. .”
GDN reported in July 2022 that more than 40% of Bahraini nationals interviewed for the survey said they would prefer to continue with a two-day work week rather than switching to a four-and-a-half day work week.
The study, by the Bahrain Society of Economists (BES), involved a random sample of 50 people from different fields, age groups, genders and nationalities.
As a result, 44% of respondents would like the current full two-day weekend system, while 24% would like to switch to a two-day, half-day weekend if there is no change in school attendance during the four working periods. It became clear that he answered that he didn’t care. day to day.
20% of respondents added that they would be fine with a two-and-a-half day weekend, but would like their children to spend more time in school each week.
The remaining 11% are OK with weekends being two and a half days long, but would prefer schools to operate five days a week rather than changing to a four-day school system to avoid impacting their children’s education. I answered yes.
This also meant that all school staff had to work five days a week.
According to reports in the UAE media, employees are feeling more productive and relaxed with the new four-and-a-half day work week, and employers are noticing an improvement in employee attendance. Masu.
In 2022, the UAE has changed the working week (in the public sector) to four and a half days, from Monday to Friday at noon, with Saturdays and Sundays (including school).
The UAE government has announced that Friday work ends at noon before prayers, but private companies are free to choose their working week.
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