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GCC Hiring Calendar 2026
Which public holidays and Emiratisation or Saudization deadlines should you plan hiring around?
Checked against MOHRE / HRSD and official holiday rules · reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · next review 1 Jan 2027
Where the dates come from
Public holidays come from the 2026 holiday announcements in our labour library; Islamic holidays are expected dates and are confirmed by moon sighting. Emiratisation checkpoints and the Emirati minimum wage dates come from MOHRE; Saudization dates come from HRSD decisions and published summaries. Each row links to its source. Upcoming dates are listed first.
- Expected date
- A lunar-calendar holiday whose exact day is announced after moon sighting.
- Emiratisation checkpoint
- A half-yearly date by which 50+ staff UAE companies must hit their skilled Emirati target.
- Saudization step
- A date from which a share of jobs in a profession must be held by Saudis.
Coming up after 1 Oct 2026
The next dates on the calendar, from the same data as the table above.
| Date | Event | Country | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Oct 2026 | Saudization: Administrative support — 50 added roles (receptionist, PR, recruitment, HR specialist…) | Saudi Arabia | 100% Saudi share required |
| 27 Oct 2026 | Saudization: Accounting (44 roles: accountant, financial manager, auditor…) | Saudi Arabia | 50% Saudi share required (5+ in the group) |
| 25 Nov 2026 – 26 Nov 2026 | National Day (observed; statutory 20–21 Nov fall on the weekend) | Oman | Public holiday |
| 2 Dec 2026 – 3 Dec 2026 | UAE National Day | UAE | Public holiday |
| 16 Dec 2026 – 17 Dec 2026 | National Day | Bahrain | Public holiday |
| 18 Dec 2026 | Qatar National Day | Qatar | Public holiday |
| 31 Dec 2026 | Emiratisation checkpoint (50+ staff) | UAE | 10% of skilled jobs held by Emiratis |
| 14 Feb 2027 | Saudization: Project management (manager, engineer, specialist) | Saudi Arabia | 70% Saudi share required (3+ in the group) |
Before you plan around a date
- Islamic holiday dates are expected and can move by a day or two after moon sighting.
- Governments sometimes add bridge days or change holidays at short notice — check the official announcement.
- Only rules in our verified labour library are listed; other GCC nationalisation deadlines will be added once sourced.
Data Sources
- MOHRE — Emiratisation targets (private sector, 50+ and 20–49 staff) (2026-10-01)
- MOHRE — Emirati minimum wage AED 6,000 from 1 January 2026 (2026-10-01)
- HRSD — 70% Saudization in procurement professions from 31 May 2026 (2026-10-01)
- SPA / HRSD — Localization decisions for 269 professions (dental, pharmacy, accounting, engineering) (2026-10-01)
- SPA / HRSD — New Saudization measures for engineering and procurement (SAR 8,000 counted wage) (2026-10-01)
- HRSD — Optics sector Saudization resolution enters into force (2026-10-01)
- SPA / HRSD — 70% Saudization of project management professions (2026-10-01)
- 2026 public holidays (government announcements; Islamic dates expected) (secondary) (2026-09-23)
- HRSD — 100% Saudization of 69 administrative support professions (Fragomen) (secondary) (2026-10-01)
- HRSD — 100% Saudization of remote customer service (Argaam, Feb 2021) (secondary) (2026-10-01)
- HRSD — 60% Saudization in marketing and sales professions (Erickson Immigration Group) (secondary) (2026-10-01)
Plan the hires behind the deadlines
Work out your gap with the Emiratisation calculator or the Saudized jobs list, and check how long hiring takes with the time to hire calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the Eid dates say 'expected'?
Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, Arafat Day, Eid al-Adha, Islamic New Year and the Prophet's Birthday follow the lunar Hijri calendar. Each date is confirmed by moon sighting and announced by the government shortly before, so the dates here are the expected ones and can move by a day or two.
What Emiratisation deadlines are coming up?
Companies with 50 or more employees must reach 10% Emiratis in skilled jobs by 31 December 2026 (9% was due by 30 June 2026). MOHRE hasn't announced targets for 2027 onwards yet. Since 1 July 2026, Emiratis paid below the AED 6,000 minimum wage no longer count. Work out your gap with the Emiratisation calculator.
Which Saudization changes take effect soon?
The calendar lists every Saudization step from 2026 onwards in our labour library, each with its official or published source — for example administrative support roles becoming 100% Saudi-only from 5 October 2026. The Saudized jobs list shows the full rules, minimum salaries and headcount thresholds.
Why does the calendar only show 2026 holidays?
We only publish dates that have been announced or are set in law. 2027 public holidays will be added once the GCC governments publish them, and Islamic dates will again be marked as expected.
How should I plan hiring around the holidays?
Check which dates fall inside your hiring process, then allow for them when you set interview schedules, offer deadlines and start dates. Our time to hire calculator counts working days with each country's weekend and these public holidays.
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