Saturday Paid Holiday for Private Sector Employees to Celebrate Hijri New Year’s Eve

On Monday, the Egyptian Minister of Man Power Mohamed Saafan announced that Saturday 30 July would be a paid day off for the private sector’s employees to celebrate the advent of the new Islamic Hijri year, 1444.

In a statement issued on Monday, the minister added that companies have the right to ask employees to work during this day on job requirements, but are still legally obliged to pay double the normal wage to those who work during a holiday.

Since 2020, the Egyptian government has pushed public holidays — except for Eid El-Fitr, Eid El-Adha, and Coptic Christmas — to Thursdays whenever they fall on a weekday to give citizens a chance to have a long weekend.

This is not the case this year with the Hijri new year, as Saturday is already a day off for many private and public sector workers, however, some institutions work on that day.

The same happened last week when the premier issued a decision stipulating that Saturday 23 July would be a full paid day off for public and private sectors' employees in observance of the anniversary of the 23 July Revolution.

The Hijri calendar, which began in AD 622, is used by Muslims around the globe to determine when to mark the holy month of Ramadan, as well as the Hajj pilgrimage and other Islamic events.