Ramadan 2018: Public sector working hours announced

Government employees will work five hours a day during the holy month

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in the UAE and the sixth largest in the world. EPA

UPDATE: Working hours for private sector employees announced

Public sector employees in the UAE will have their working hours reduced to five hours during Ramadan, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources announced on Sunday.

Government workers at Ministries and Federal bodies will work between 9am and 2pm during the holy month, according to Article 116 of the Executive Regulations of the Human Resources Law of the Federal Government.

In March, the Sharjah Centre for Space and Astronomy predicted Ramadan would begin on May 15. The exact dates of the holy month will be confirmed by the moon sighting committee this week.

Last week, Oman announced that Ramdan would begin on May 17. Historically, Oman's religious authority will call Ramadan independently of the rest of the Gulf while the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia tend to start fasting on the same day.

Private sector working hours are ordinarily shortened by two hours but a statement from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has yet to be issued.

Companies are not required to follow the same timings as the public sector.

The Authority congratulated the country's leaders and its people on the occasion.

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More on Ramadan:

Ramadan 2018 FAQs: all you need to know about the holy month in the UAE

Do non-Muslims have to work full hours during Ramadan in the UAE?

Ramadan 2018: Abu Dhabi restaurants open during the day