Employment law in the UAE has developed to protect the interests of labourers and low paid workers who tend to work in the UAE after being recruited in South Asia and the Philippines. Such individuals are often vulnerable with little resource to challenge unscrupulous practices of employers and recruiters. The legislation seeks to create obligations for employers to minimise the opportunity for abuse.
The legislation is commonly referred to as 'UAE Labour Law' and is a series of amending Federal Decree Laws that are accompanied by Cabinet Resolutions which provide interpretative guidance. The legislation can be loosely worded in some areas. The UAE Labour Law can be accessed through the government portal U.ae. Key elements are summarised below, and work absences are discussed in 3.2.
| Area of law | Detail | Legislative reference |
| Employee/labourer | An employee or labourer is defined as anyone holding a job and the terms are interchangeable.
There is no legislation around employees working as self-employed persons or vice versa. The reason for this is that entry into the country is restricted and closely aligned to work |
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Web page updated on 17 Mar 2025 16:13