Article 78 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 78 من نظام العمل · الباب الخامس: علاقات العمل
Article 78 gives a worker whose employer has given notice of termination the right to be absent with pay for a day or 8 hours a week to look for work, and allows the employer to excuse them from work while their pay continues.
Official text after amendments (Arabic)
Compiled from the original text and every officially published amendment; the amendments are shown in full below for comparison.
إذا كان الإشعار من جانب صاحب العمل، فيحق للعامل أن يتغيب خلال مهلة الإشعار يوماً كاملاً في الأسبوع أو ثماني ساعات أثناء الأسبوع، وذلك للبحث عن عمل آخر مع استحقاقه لأجر هذا اليوم أو ساعات الغياب. ويكون للعامل تحديد يوم الغياب وساعاته بشرط أن يُشعر صاحب العمل بذلك في اليوم السابق للغياب على الأقل. ولصاحب العمل أن يعفي العامل من العمل أثناء مهلة الإشعار مع احتساب مدة خدمته مستمرة إلى حين انتهاء تلك المهلة، والتزام صاحب العمل بما يترتب على ذلك من آثار وبخاصة استحقاق العامل أجره عن مهلة الإشعار.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 78 explained in plain English
Article 78 of the Labor Law regulates the position of the worker during the notice period when it is the employer who initiated notifying them of ending the contract. In this case the worker needs time to look for a new job opportunity before their employment relationship ends, so the article gives them specific rights.
What does the article provide for the worker?
- They have the right during the notice period to be absent one full day a week or 8 hours spread through the week, to look for another job.
- They are entitled to their full wage for the day or hours of absence, and nothing may be deducted from it because of this absence.
- The worker decides the day of absence and its hours, on one condition: that they notify the employer of this at least the day before the absence.
What does the article permit the employer?
- The employer may excuse the worker from attending work throughout the notice period instead of their continuing to perform their work.
- In this case the worker's service is counted as continuous until the end of the notice period, and the employer is bound by all the consequences of that, particularly paying the worker's wage for the whole notice period.
Important notes:
- The right to be absent is established by the text of the article where the notice is given by the employer; the article does not mention this right when the worker is the one who gave the notice.
- This article is connected with Article 77, which regulates compensation when a contract is ended for an illegitimate reason, and with Article 79, which sets out the effect of the death of the employer or the worker on the contract.
- The article was amended by Royal Decree No. M/46 dated 5/6/1436 AH, and the text explained here is the text in force.
If the employer refuses to allow the worker this right or deducts the wage for the day of absence, the worker may document their prior notice and consult a labor lawyer to learn the appropriate steps for their case.
Practical example
Ahmed, an accountant at a company in Riyadh, received written notice from his employer ending his contract. During the notice period he had job interviews at other companies, so he told his manager on Sunday that he would be absent the whole of Monday to look for work. Under Article 78, Ahmed is entitled to this absence, and his full wage for Monday must be paid without deduction. The following week the company decided to excuse him from attending until the end of the notice period; here his service remains counted until the last day of the period, and the company is obliged to pay his wage for it in full.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Active contributorFrequently asked questions about Article 78 of the Saudi Labor Law
May a worker be absent during the notice period to look for another job?
Yes. If notice of ending the contract came from the employer, the worker may be absent one full day a week or 8 hours during the week to look for another job, provided they notify the employer at least the day before the absence.
Is the wage for the day of absence to look for work deducted from the worker's pay?
No. Article 78 expressly provides that the worker is entitled to the wage for the day of absence or the hours of absence set aside for looking for work.
May the employer excuse the worker from attending during the notice period?
Yes. The employer may excuse the worker from work during the notice period, provided that their service is counted as continuous until the end of the period and that the employer pays their wage for the notice period.
Who decides the day of absence or its hours?
The worker decides the day of absence and its hours, and their only condition is to notify the employer of this at least the day before the absence.
Amendment history
Royal Decree No. M/46 — 5/6/1436 AH
Official amendment text (Arabic)
تم إلغاء نص هذه المادة بموجب المرسوم الملكي رقم ( م/ 46) وتاريخ 5 / 6 / 1436 هـ ؛ وإحلال النص الآتي محله:
"إذا كان الإشعار من جانب صاحب العمل، فيحق للعامل أن يتغيب خلال مهلة الإشعار يوماً كاملاً في الأسبوع أو ثماني ساعات أثناء الأسبوع، وذلك للبحث عن عمل آخر مع استحقاقه لأجر هذا اليوم أو ساعات الغياب. ويكون للعامل تحديد يوم الغياب وساعاته بشرط أن يُشعر صاحب العمل بذلك في اليوم السابق للغياب على الأقل. ولصاحب العمل أن يعفي العامل من العمل أثناء مهلة الإشعار مع احتساب مدة خدمته مستمرة إلى حين انتهاء تلك المهلة، والتزام صاحب العمل بما يترتب على ذلك من آثار وبخاصة استحقاق العامل أجره عن مهلة الإشعار".
Original text before the amendments (Arabic)
يجوز للعامل الذي يفصل من عمله بغير سبب مشروع أن يطلب إعادته إلى العمل، وينظر في هذه الطلبات وفق أحكام هذا النظام ولائحة المرافعات أمام هيئات تسوية الخلافات العمالية.
More articles on Terminating the Employment Contract
- Article 57
Article 57 provides that an employment contract concluded to perform a specific job ends automatically once the agreed work is completed.
إذا كان العقد من أجل القيام بعمل معين فإنه ينتهي بإنجاز العمل المتفق عليه.
- Article 64Amended (1436 AH)
Article 64 requires the employer, on the end of the contract, to give the worker a free service certificate free of anything harmful to them, and to return all certificates and documents they deposited with it.
يلتزم صاحب العمل عند انتهاء عقد العمل بما يأتي : 1 - أن يعطي العامل – بناءً على طلبه – شهادة خدمة دون مقابل، يوضح فيها تاريخ التحاقه بالعمل، وتاريخ انتهاء علاقت
- Article 66
Article 66 sets out exhaustively the six disciplinary sanctions an employer may impose on a worker, from a warning to dismissal in the cases set in the Law.
الجزاءات التأديبية التي يجوز لصاحب العمل توقيعها على العامل: 1 - الإنذار. 2 - الغرامة. 3 - الحرمان من العلاوة أو تأجيلها لمدة لا تزيد على سنة متى كانت مقررة من
- Article 74Amended by M/44
Article 74 lists the cases in which an employment contract ends, including written agreement of the parties, expiry of the term, resignation, reaching retirement age, force majeure, permanent closure of the establishment, and bankruptcy.
ينتهي عقد العمل في أي من الأحوال الآتية : 1 - إذا اتفق الطرفان على إنهائه، بشرط أن تكون موافقة العامل كتابية. 2 - إذا انتهت المدة المحددة في العقد، ما لم يكن ال
- Article 75Amended by M/44
Article 75 sets the written notice period for ending an open-ended contract for a legitimate reason: 60 days from the employer and 30 days from the worker if wages are monthly, and 30 days for both otherwise.
1- إذا كان العقد غير محدد المدة وكان الأجر يدفع شهريًّا، جاز لأي من طرفيه إنهاؤه بناءً على سبب مشروع، وفق ما يلي: أ- إذا كان الإنهاء من طرف العامل، فيجب عليه أن
- Article 76Amended (1436 AH)
Whoever ends an open-ended contract without observing the notice period in Article 75 must pay the other party a sum equal to the worker's wage for that period, unless they agree on more.
إذا لم يراع الطرف الذي أنهى العقد غير المحدد المدة المهلة المحدد للإشعار وفقاً للمادة (الخامسة والسبعين) من هذا النظام، فإنه يلتزم بأن يدفع للطرف الآخر عن مهلة
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.