Hiring Across MENA: A Practical Guide to Employment Laws

The Middle East and North Africa is not a single market. It is a collection of distinct legal systems, labour cultures, and compliance frameworks spread across more than 20 countries. What applies in Dubai does not apply in Cairo. What works in Riyadh requires a completely different approach in Casablanca. 

For any business looking to build a team across the region, that diversity is both the opportunity and the challenge.

Employment laws in MENA tend to be detailed, regularly updated, and unforgiving of errors. 

Most countries in the region require written employment contracts in the local language, mandate statutory end-of-service benefits, enforce localisation quotas for national workers, and impose specific rules on working hours, leave, and termination. Getting these right from day one matters.

This is where working with an employer of record MENA partner becomes a practical necessity for most companies. Tarmack acts as the legal employer of your workforce across MENA markets, absorbing the compliance burden so you can focus on the work itself. 

Here is what you need to know about employment law, country by country.

United Arab Emirates

Private sector employment in the UAE is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, administered by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE). 

All contracts must be fixed-term, capped at three years and renewable. Standard hours are eight per day and 48 per week, with a two-hour daily reduction during Ramadan. 

Employees receive 30 days of annual leave after one year of service, and maternity leave of 60 days, 45 at full pay and the remaining 15 at half pay. End-of-service gratuity is payable after one year of continuous employment.

The Emiratisation (Nafis) programme requires companies above a set headcount to hire a proportion of UAE nationals, with targets increasing annually. Non-compliance carries financial penalties. Tarmack manages MOHRE registration, payroll, gratuity calculations, and Emiratisation tracking for clients hiring in the UAE.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia operates under Royal Decree No. M/51 of 2005, overseen by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD). The 2024 amendments expanded leave provisions, tightened outsourcing oversight, and added formal resignation procedures. Contracts for non-Saudi employees must be written and fixed-term, aligned to work permit validity.

The Nitaqat (Saudisation) programme sets a minimum 75% Saudi national workforce threshold for most employers. Non-compliance directly affects a company’s ability to obtain or renew work permits.

End-of-service award is calculated at half a month’s wage per year for the first five years, rising to one month’s wage per year thereafter. Employers bear the cost of Iqama and work permit fees for all expatriate hires. Tarmack absorbs the complexity of Nitaqat classification and expatriate visa management.

Qatar

Qatar has seen some of the most sweeping labour reforms in the region. Governed by Labour Law No. 14 of 2004, the country abolished the exit permit requirement, removed the need for a No-Objection Certificate when changing employers, and introduced a non-discriminatory minimum wage of QAR 1,000 per month. 

Mandatory allowances of QAR 500 for accommodation and QAR 300 for food apply unless provided in kind. 

A Wage Protection System monitors timely salary payments across all sectors. These reforms make Qatar a more competitive market, but the compliance obligations for foreign employers remain substantial. Tarmack manages the full employment lifecycle in Qatar, including work permit applications, WPS compliance, and end-of-service calculations.

Bahrain

Bahrain’s employment law is administered by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) under Labour Law No. 36 of 2012. 

The country operates the Flexi-Permit scheme, which allows certain expatriate workers to work without a traditional sponsor, giving Bahrain one of the more flexible labour markets in the Gulf. Standard working hours are eight per day and 48 per week, reducing to six per day for Muslim employees during Ramadan. 

Maternity leave is 60 days at full pay, and end-of-service gratuity is calculated at half a month’s wage per year for the first three years, rising to one month per year thereafter. The Bahrainisation quota sets sector-specific targets for local national employment that employers must maintain.

Kuwait

Kuwait’s Labour Law No. 6 of 2010, overseen by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, governs private sector employment. Probation is capped at 100 working days. Annual leave is 30 days after one year of service. 

End-of-service indemnity is set at 15 days’ wage per year for the first five years, rising to one month’s wage per year beyond that. Employers are responsible for arranging and funding employee work visas. 

The Kuwaitisation programme sets localisation targets that affect work permit eligibility for foreign hires, and compliance must be maintained throughout the employment relationship.

Oman

Oman’s labour framework is governed by Royal Decree No. 35/2003 and subsequent amendments, enforced by the Ministry of Labour. Standard hours are nine per day and 45 per week, reducing to six per day during Ramadan. 

Annual leave is 30 days per year after six months of service. End-of-service gratuity is one month’s basic wage per year of service after three years. Omanisation quotas are sector-specific and directly affect a company’s ability to obtain work permits for expatriate employees. 

Contracts for foreign workers must be in Arabic or bilingual. Tarmack manages Omanisation compliance and full payroll obligations for clients operating in Oman.

Egypt

Egypt has the largest labour force in the Arab world. Employment is governed by Labour Law No. 12 of 2003, with mandatory social insurance contributions required from both employer and employee. The standard working week is 48 hours, and overtime must not push daily hours beyond ten. 

Annual leave starts at 21 days and increases to 30 days after ten years of continuous employment. Maternity leave is 90 days at full pay, available up to three times with the same employer. Foreign workers are generally capped at 10% of a company’s total headcount, with limited exceptions for specialist roles. 

Tarmack manages social insurance registration and statutory filings for employers hiring in Egypt.

Jordan

Jordan’s Labour Law No. 8 of 1996 and its amendments govern private sector employment across the country. Employers must register all employees with the Social Security Corporation, covering pension, healthcare, and occupational injuries. Annual leave is 14 days for the first five years of service, rising to 21 days thereafter. 

Certain professions are closed to non-Jordanians, and foreign workers require a valid work permit throughout their employment. Upon employer-initiated termination, end-of-service pay is calculated at one month’s wage per year of service.

Morocco

Morocco is a growing destination for outsourcing and technology companies, particularly those expanding from Europe into Africa and the broader MENA region. The labour framework is shaped by French law principles and is one of the more structured in the region.

• Labour Code No. 65-99 governs all private sector employment.
• The standard working week is 44 hours in industry and 48 hours in commerce.
• Annual leave accrues at 1.5 days per month for the first five years, rising to two days per month thereafter.
• Employers contribute to the CNSS (National Social Security Fund) and must provide employee health insurance.
• Contracts must be in Arabic or French and must comply with specific clauses mandated under the Labour Code.
• The government-set minimum wage (SMIG) applies across all private sector workers and is reviewed periodically.

Tarmack handles CNSS registration, payroll in Moroccan Dirham, and full Labour Code compliance for companies hiring in Morocco.

Why This Matters for Your Hiring Strategy

No two MENA markets are identical. Across the region you are dealing with different contract types, different statutory benefits, different localisation quotas, different work permit processes, and different social contribution structures. 

Miss a requirement in one country and you can face fines, permit suspensions, or employment disputes that are expensive and time-consuming to resolve.

As your EOR MENA partner, Tarmack acts as the legal employer of your workforce across all these markets. Your team works for you. 

Tarmack handles the employment infrastructure, including compliant contracts drafted to local law, accurate payroll in local currency, end-of-service and statutory benefit management, work permit and visa facilitation, and localisation compliance tracking across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.

The result is faster market entry without the cost and delay of setting up local entities, and the confidence that your workforce is employed compliantly from day one.

Ready to Build Your Mena Team?

Whether you are hiring your first employee in Dubai or scaling a distributed team across five countries, Tarmack gives you a single, trusted employer of record MENA partner to manage it all. 

Talk to the Tarmack team to find out how we can support your expansion.