Over 80 percent of Jeddah's private sector business owners support the idea of a 40-hour working week with two days off. They also support employees working a fixed eight hours a day, said Mohialdeen Al-Hakami, Assistant Secretary General of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Hakami said the chamber had held a number of workshops to discuss reducing the daily working hours in the private sector to eight. The workshops also discussed reducing the working week to five days. The outcomes of the workshops, in the form of a study, have been submitted to the Ministry of Labor. He said the majority of business owners support the idea of reducing work to five days a week. They have also agreed that the working week should be 40 hours, and not more than a maximum of 48 hours under any circumstances. The study also proposes that business owners be allowed some flexibility in deciding which two days workers will get off, taking into consideration the requirements of back-office administration workers and those who deal directly with the public. Earlier Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, said his ministry is considering whether to increase the number of official holiday hours in the private sector so that they are in line with the government sector. A decision will be made soon, he added.
