President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, may Allah preserve him, has approved a federal decree-law amending some provisions of the regulation on labor relations, under which male and female private sector employees are given a paid parental leave for five working days to look after their babies, effective from the baby’s date of birth until he is 6 months old.   

The federal decree grants a unique advantage to private sector employees of both sexes to bolster their family role during the period of caring for their babies. Granting a leave for the father under the new legislation is regarded as a significant development in the UAE labor market and underscores the baby’s need to be looked after by both parents after this job has been assumed by the working mother only.

The decree benefits a broad base of private sector employees who represent a large proportion of UAE residents. This will promote the UAE’s position, which is based on humanitarian considerations and will greatly support the UAE’s efforts in the field of Emiratisation, as it will render the private sector more attractive to the highly qualified national staff, who will be more motivated to join it.

According to the federal decree-law no. 6 for 2020, the provisions of the federal law no. 8 for 1980 on the regulation of labor relations, stipulating article 32 to be replaced and a new article no. 74 to be added. The new article stipulates that a private sector employee be granted a paid parental leave for five working days to look after his baby, effective from the baby’s date of birth until he is 6 months old.