UAE announces Islamic New Year holiday for private sector employees.

July 7 will be a paid holiday for private sector employees in the UAE, it was announced on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) declared the holiday — which falls on a Sunday — on the occasion of Hijri New Year. On the Islamic calendar, this date translates to Muharram 1, marking the start of the new Hijri year 1446 AH.

Other countries like Oman have also announced a holiday for the Hijri New Year, for both public and private sector employees, on July 7, translating into a long weekend for government employees, and private sector companies who operate on a 5-day work-week.

In UAE, residents have a couple of holidays left before the end of the year, including one on the occasion of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s birthday. The country will also celebrate National Day with a long weekend, the year’s last official holiday.

This is according to a list of holidays for 2024, announced by the country’s Cabinet. Public holidays in UAE are in addition to 30 annual leaves that employees can take in a year.