Qatar
This middle eastern country is officially known as the State of Qatar.
The official language is Arabic. It has one of the largest oil and gas reserves which allows its people to enjoy higher standards of living as well as an established system of social services. While the energy sector drives the economy, recent attempts are being made to diversify and expand its economy towards tourism such as the 2022 football world cup, which is a great initiation by the State.
Employment Contracts
Employment contracts should be written in Arabic. If the contract is in another language, an Arabic translation of the employment contract should be provided to both the employer and employee and the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (MADLSA) for authentication. The Arabic version is authentic for legal purposes in case of any inconsistencies.
The salaries paid are supposed to be in QAR and should be paid according to the contract.
An employment contract should include the following:
There are 3 types of contracts in Qatar
Fixed Term
Expires at a specific date and does not exceed 5 years. However, can be extended upon agreement by both parties. If contract continues without an agreement after 5 years, then the contract becomes an indefinite contract.
Indefinite Term
The contracts do not have an expiration date and can only be terminated by either one of the parties.
Job completion
These contracts are temporary and should not exceed 4 weeks but can be extended for the same period if both the parties agree.
Working Hours
The standard work hours are 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week.
During Ramadan, it is reduced to 6 hours a day and 36 hours per week for Muslim employees.
Leaves
There are several types of leaves employees are entitled to.
Sick leave
Employees are granted 14 days of full paid sick leaves after 3 months of service if medical certificates are provided. If the sick should be taken for more than 14 days, then they receive another 4 weeks of sick leave at half pay. Any sick leave taken beyond this is unpaid until the employee returns or resigns due to medical reasons. Employers are required to cover up all medical expenses for work injuries where employees receive paid leave up to 60 days.
Vacation leave
Employees are allowed annual leave after 1 year of service. 21 days if the employee worked for less than 5 years and 30 days if the employee has worked for more than 5 years for the employer. Employees who have worked for less than a year will receive a percentage of annual leave, which is determined by the employer. Leave can be taken up all at once or can be divided into 2 periods within a year. Leave that is not taken up this year can be carried forward to the next year upon agreement from both parties. Subsequently, Muslim employees are eligible for a one time 20 days unpaid leave to conduct the pilgrimage to Makkah.
Maternity/Paternity leave
Female employees receive 50 days of maternity leave after 1 year of service. Employees must provide a medical certificate. No less than 35 days of paid leave should be allocated after the child’s birth. If such a case happens, the female employee can use her annual leave days or take unpaid time off. If medical complications occur, then the female employee will be granted an additional 60 days of unpaid leave upon providing a medical certificate. After returning to work, the employee will be granted an extra hour of nursing break everyday for 1 year. It is common to offer a paternity leave for 5 days.
Public Holidays
- Eid al Fitr
- Eid al Adha
- National Day
- Arafat Day
- National Sports Day
Compensation
Employers may choose to give bonuses to employees based on their performance. Companies also provide supplementary private healthcare (medical insurance), whereas Qatari Nationals receive heavily funded healthcare coverage.
Employment, Termination and EOSB
Both parties can initiate the termination process with or without a reason. To initiate this, a termination notice is required. However, in certain circumstances, the employer or employee can terminate the contract without requiring a termination notice.
In addition to any sums to which the worker is entitled to upon the expiry of his service, the employer shall pay the end of service gratuity to the worker who has completed employment of one year or more. This gratuity shall be agreed upon by the two parties provided it is not less than a three-week wage for every year of employment. The worker shall be entitled to gratuity for the fractions of the year in proportion to the duration of employment. The worker’s service shall be considered continuous if it is terminated in cases other than those stipulated in article (61) of the law and is returned to service within two months of its termination. The last basic wage shall be the base for the calculation of the gratuity. The employer is entitled to deduct from the service gratuity the amount due to him by the worker.