With the pace of change in the UAE continuing to accelerate, the UAE authorities announced in July 2023, via Twitter, an expansion to the categories of companies that are subject to the Emiratisation quota requirements. This latest development further evidences the country’s commitment to increasing the numbers of UAE national employees employed in the private sector.

The Middle East luxury brands industry has rapidly expanded in recent years, driven by rising global consumption and major strides in online retail sales and marketing. These developments have also brought new challenges for the industry as companies face more stringent regulations as well as complex corporate and employment issues as they expand into new markets. As luxury goods companies gather large amounts of customer information, data protection has also become a major concern. Join Baker McKenzie for an update on the employment and data protection laws for luxury brands in the Middle East on 8 February 2023 from 2:00 – 3:00pm GST.

The long-awaited Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on Regulation of Labour Relations is among a number of new legal developments introduced recently in the UAE. On Tuesday, 7 December 2021, the UAE Government announced that effective 1 January 2022, Federal Government entities shall operate on a 4-and-a-half day working week, with the weekend set to start on Friday afternoon and include Saturday and Sunday.