Article 98 of the Saudi Labor Law
المادة 98 من نظام العمل · الباب السادس: شروط العمل وظروفه
Article 98 sets the maximum actual working hours at 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, reduced for Muslims during Ramadan to 6 hours a day or 36 a week.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
لا يجوز تشغيل العامل تشغيلًا فعليًّا أكثر من ثماني ساعات في اليوم الواحد، إذا اعتمد صاحب العمل المعيار اليومي، أو أكثر من ثمان وأربعين ساعة في الأسبوع، إذا اعتمد المعيار الأسبوعي. وتخفض ساعات العمل الفعلية خلال شهر رمضان للمسلمين، بحيث لا تزيد على ست ساعات في اليوم، أو ست وثلاثين ساعة في الأسبوع.
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 98 explained in plain English
Article 98 of the Labor Law sets the maximum actual working hours for which an employer may employ a worker. It is one of the basic rules for protecting the worker from exhaustion and ensuring a balance between work and rest.
What does the article provide?
- If the employer adopts the daily standard: the worker may not actually be employed for more than 8 hours in a single day.
- If the employer adopts the weekly standard: 48 hours in the week may not be exceeded.
- During the month of Ramadan, actual working hours are reduced for Muslim workers so that they do not exceed 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.
Important practical points:
- The article speaks of actual employment, that is, the time during which the worker actually performs their work at the employer's disposal, which counts toward the legal limit.
- The choice between the daily and the weekly standard is up to the employer; the weekly standard gives it flexibility in distributing 48 hours across the days of the week, provided the total does not exceed this limit.
- The reduction of hours in Ramadan is a statutory obligation on the employer toward Muslim workers, not an optional gift from it.
Relationship with neighboring articles: Article 99 allows departure from the 8-hour limit in two directions: raising it to 9 hours a day for certain categories of workers or in industries and work in which the worker does not work continuously, or lowering it to 7 hours a day for certain categories of workers or in dangerous or harmful industries and work, with these categories and kinds of work to be determined by decision of the Minister. As for what exceeds the legal limits, it is subject to the provisions on overtime regulated in later articles of this Part.
If you are regularly required to work hours beyond these limits without their being treated as overtime, it is useful to document your attendance and departure hours and consult a lawyer who specializes in labor cases.
Practical example
Ahmed works as an accountant at a company in Riyadh that adopts the daily standard for working hours. He works from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., equivalent to 8 actual working hours a day, which is the maximum allowed by Article 98. When Ramadan begins, the company must reduce Ahmed's working hours, as a Muslim, to no more than 6 hours a day, so his working day becomes, for example, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. His non-Muslim colleague, however, remains subject to a maximum of 8 hours a day, because the Ramadan reduction is specifically for Muslims.
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 98 of the Saudi Labor Law
How many daily working hours are allowed under the Saudi Labor Law?
Under Article 98, a worker may not actually be employed for more than 8 hours a day if the employer adopts the daily standard, or more than 48 hours a week if it adopts the weekly standard.
What are the working hours in Ramadan under the Labor Law?
Actual working hours for Muslims are reduced during the month of Ramadan so that they do not exceed 6 hours a day or 36 hours a week.
Does the Ramadan reduction in working hours cover non-Muslim workers?
The text of Article 98 provides the reduction for Muslims specifically, so the maximum for others remains 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week.
Can working hours exceed 8 hours a day?
Yes. Article 99 permits raising working hours to 9 hours a day for certain categories of workers or in industries and work in which the worker does not work continuously, and also permits lowering them to 7 hours in dangerous or harmful work, with these categories determined by decision of the Minister.
More articles on Working Hours and Overtime
- Article 6
Article 6 sets the provisions that apply to the casual, seasonal and temporary worker: duties, discipline, working hours, rest, overtime, official holidays, safety, work injuries and what the Minister decides.
تسري على العامل العرضي والموسمي والمؤقت الأحكام الخاصة بالواجبات وقواعد التأديب، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة الأسبوعية، والتشغيل ال
- Article 17
Article 17 requires the employer to keep at the workplace the records and files the Regulations specify, and to post a visible schedule of working hours, rest periods and shifts.
على صاحب العمل أن يحتفظ في مكان العمل بالسجلات والكشوف والملفات التي تحدد ماهيتها، والبيانات التي يجب أن تتضمنها اللائحة. وعليه أن يضع في مكان ظاهر بموقع العمل
- Article 49
Article 49 applies the Labor Law provisions on leave, holidays, working hours, rest periods, occupational safety and work injuries to the trainee and the person undergoing qualification.
تسري على عقد التأهيل والتدريب الأحكام الواردة في هذا النظام، الخاصة بالإجازات السنوية والعطلات الرسمية، والحد الأقصى لساعات العمل، وفترات الراحة اليومية والراحة
- Article 99
Article 99 allows the Minister to raise daily working hours to 9 for certain categories or non-continuous work, or lower them to 7 in dangerous or harmful work.
يجوز زيادة ساعات العمل المنصوص عليها في المادة الثامنة والتسعين من هذا النظام إلى تسع ساعات في اليوم الواحد لبعض فئات العمال، أو في بعض الصناعات والأعمال التي ل
- Article 100
Article 100 allows an employer, with the Ministry's approval, to exceed 8 hours a day or 48 a week in establishments that work in rotation, provided the average over 3 weeks or less stays within these limits.
يجوز لصاحب العمل- بموافقة الوزارة- في المنشآت التي تقتضي طبيعة العمل فيها أداء العمل بالتناوب زيادة ساعات العمل على ثماني ساعات عمل في اليوم أو ثمان وأربعين ساع
- Article 101Amended (1436 AH)
Article 101 requires working days to be organized so that a worker does not work more than 5 consecutive hours without a rest of at least half an hour, or stay at the workplace more than 12 hours a day.
تنظم ساعات العمل وفترات الراحة خلال اليوم، بحيث لا يعمل العامل أكثر من خمس ساعات متتالية دون فترة للراحة والصلاة والطعام لا تقل عن نصف ساعة في المرة الواحدة خلا
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.