Shifting Sands of Labor Law

YOUR SOURCE FOR MIDDLE EAST HR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATES
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Ministry) is rolling out a new enforceable version of the standard form employment contract issued via the Ministry’s Qiwa portal. The roll out integrates the wages clause contained in the Qiwa contract with the Ministry of Justice’s legal services portal, Najiz, enabling an employee to directly enforce the payment terms without having to initiate a claim through the Labour Courts.
The third in our multipart Navigating Employment Law in the Middle East webinar series considered the applicable employment regulations and immigration processes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Be sure to join us for our next webinar taking place on December 9 looking at the applicable law and processes in the United Arab Emirates.
The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) published a Practice Direction on October 9, 2025, which will have a significant impact on employment disputes in the DIFC with immediate effect. The Practice Direction noted a desire to enhance access to justice in employment-related disputes and to create a proportionate, fair, and efficient procedural framework within the DIFC courts.
Our multipart webinar series Navigating Employment Law in the Middle East recently kicked off with a session looking at the applicable employment regulations and immigration processes within the Abu Dhabi Global Market for new employees. In this blog post, find some of the key takeaways from this webinar and be sure to join us for our future webinars.
The Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation has ruled that an employer must compensate a former employee for 13 years of unused annual leave, departing from the two-year limit typically applied by lower courts.