Saudi Arabia Announces Number of Days Workers Are Allowed to Go on Paid Leave Every Year
- Saudi Arabia's labour rules guarantee workers at least 45 days of paid annual leave for each full year of service
- Education sector employees have specific leave arrangements, including the possibility of being assigned duties during holidays
- Workers on exceptional leave, secondment, or unauthorised absence are not entitled to count that period as annual leave
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Saudi Arabia grants full-time employees a minimum of 45 days of paid ordinary leave for every complete year of service, according to the country's labour regulations governing civil employees.
The law also provides for partial-year entitlements: workers who have not completed a full year of service receive leave calculated in proportion to the time they have worked.
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In all cases, the full pay for the leave period must be handed to the employee before the leave begins, not after they return.
How leave works for education employees
Workers in the education sector follow a slightly different arrangement. Their summer holiday is counted as the ordinary leave set out in the regulations, meaning it is treated the same way as standard annual leave rather than as a separate benefit.
The Competent Minister holds the authority to ask education employees to carry out work-related duties during their leave period.
However, the regulations cap this flexibility: even if duties are assigned, the employee's leave cannot fall below the 45-day minimum.
When employees lose their leave entitlement
The regulations are clear on situations where an employee cannot claim ordinary leave. A worker placed on exceptional leave, sent on secondment, or absent without authorisation will not earn annual leave entitlement for those periods. This means the 45-day calculation only runs for time spent in active service under normal working conditions.
Pay for annual leave is settled in advance at the start of the leave, ensuring workers receive their full compensation before they step away from their duties.
Saudi Arabia changes work permit rules
Legit.ng earlier reported that Saudi Arabia has set new limits on the number of work visas that businesses can obtain, with the rules varying based on how long a company has been in operation. Under the revised framework, businesses that have been running for less than two years are restricted to a maximum of five work visas.
Source: Legit.ng
