Saudi Arabia: Domestic workers entitled to paid weekly day off

Cairo: Saudi Arabia’s labour authorities have stressed the right of domestic workers to get a fully paid day off every week.

The government’s Musaned platform, in charge of domestic labour affairs in the kingdom, said the procedure is essential to ensure the worker’s comfort and enhance his/her productivity during the rest of the working days.

Granting the domestic worker a weekly day off is guaranteed under regulations pertaining to the contractual relationship between the workers and employers in place to safeguard the rights of both parties and achieve a balanced and fair work environment.

Musaned has urged all employers to abide by the relevant regulations to ensure a work environment based on respect and mutual rights.

Saudi authorities have recently sought to regulate the house labour market. To this end, the Ministry of Human Resources has set up Musaned to help customers learn about their rights and duties, and related services including visa issuance, recruitment requests and contractual relation between the employer and the worker.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia rolled out new rules for employing domestic workers, setting the minimum age at 21 to preserve contractual rights.

The regulations state that dues owed to workers, or their heirs, are considered first-degree debts. Contracts must have a fixed duration; if not, they will be deemed renewable for one year from the worker’s start date.

Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia include housekeepers, drivers, housemaids, cleaners, cooks, guards, farmers, live-in nurses, tutors and nannies.