Part-time employees in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) currently comprise about three percent of the country’s workforce.
There aren’t many part-time employees in this part of the world, but it’s hiring part-timers in the UAE, especially if you’re running a small business or have a tighter budget than you’d like.
Are you interested in hiring part-timers in the UAE? If so, this guide answers all your most pressing questions, including “What are the rules and regulations for part-time employees in the UAE?”, “What are the pros and cons of hiring a part-time employee?”, and “What are the best job sites to hire part-time employees in the UAE?”
Discover everything you need to know below.
How to Hire Part-Time Employees in the UAE?
Before you get in touch with and start interviewing part-time job seekers in the UAE, it’s essential that you know what the recruiting and hiring process looks like (and what rules you need to follow as a UAE-based business).
Here’s a quick breakdown of the steps you’ll need to take to hire part-time employees:
- Identify the specific skills your company is lacking (or the particular type of assistance you require)
- Write a detailed job description
- Post job descriptions online to connect with a larger audience (including the many ex-pats coming to the UAE each year)
- Keep track of candidates with an applicant tracking system (ATS) to stay connected and organized
- Schedule interviews to meet with candidates and narrow down your list
- Consult fellow team members to help you make a final hiring decision
- Extend an offer asking the person you’ve chosen to join your team
It can take several weeks to fill a vacancy (especially with the UAE’s unique rules). Still, you can expedite the process by casting a larger net and advertising job openings on multiple platforms.
Part-Time Employment Regulations in the UAE
The UAE has several strict part-time employment regulations that all employers must understand before bringing on new employees. Here are some essential factors to keep in mind:
- Part-time workers cannot work more than eight hours per day
- Not everyone can be a part-time employee
- Companies in the UAE can only hire part-time workers who also work permanent jobs in positions that require specialized administrative, scientific, or technical skills. Employees must back up their applications with necessary documents and educational verification.
- If the applicant is an ex-pat, make sure they have a no-objection certificate (NOC) from their sponsor
- Make sure the applicant also has a work contract from their company
- Collect essential documentation from applicants, including the following:
- Color photograph
- Copy of passport
- Letter of approval from relevant authorities
- Copy of trade licenses
- Relevant academic qualifications
- Copy of new work contract
- NOC from sponsor
- Copy of residency visa showing it’s valid for more than six months
Employers must take care to ensure all these rules are followed. Otherwise, they could be fined AED 50,000 or more.
Pros and Cons of Hiring a Part-Time Employee in the UAE
When you consider all the rules required for part-time employers and employers in the UAE, it makes sense that these people make up such a small percentage of the country’s workforce. That doesn’t mean there aren’t also benefits to hiring part-time workers in the UAE, though.
Here are some of the most significant pros to consider:
- Address specific needs at your company
- Save money by avoiding paying a salary for a full-time employee
- Save money on benefits and overhead for a full-time employee
- Scale your business more efficiently
- Connect with talented individuals who can potentially become full-time employees
Of course, there are also downsides to hiring part-time job seekers in the UAE, including these:
- An extensive list of rules to follow
- Potential for an expensive fine if you don’t follow the rules
- Limited talent pool since you can only hire part-time workers with certain skills
- Limited talent pool because not as many people want to add a part-time job to their full-time one
- Part-time employees cannot work more than eight hours a day, which might affect productivity
In some cases, it’s worth the extra challenges that come with trying to hire a part-timer in the UAE. It’s up to you to evaluate your situation and decide if bringing on a part-time employee is right for you.
The Best Job Sites for Part-Time Job Seekers in the UAE
If you’ve decided that hiring part-timers in the UAE is worthwhile, consider advertising openings at your company online.
You can choose from numerous job sites to employ part-time job seekers in the UAE, including the 20 listed below:
GrabJobs is a smart recruiting platform for small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses.
GrabJobs assists with job posting, interview scheduling, applicant tracking, candidate engagement, and more. It also allows you to connect with millions of job seekers from across the globe (including those in the UAE).
Subscription: Free & Paid
- Paid plans start at AED 125 per month
- All plans come with a free 14-day trial
Dubizzle is a classified ad website that features listings for jobs, properties, vehicles, and more.
If you want to advertise part-time openings at your company, sharing an ad on Dubizzle is an excellent way to connect with UAE residents quickly. After all, more than 300,000 people search for jobs on this site every day.
Subscription: Paid
- Plans start at AED 249
Because of its social networking features, LinkedIn is a great choice for employers looking to connect with highly skilled professionals to fill part-time vacancies at their company. It also allows you to post job ads, chat with potential candidates, and more.
Subscription: Free & Paid
- LinkedIn lets you pay for sponsored posts to reach a larger audience and fill vacancies sooner
Gulf Talent offers multiple options for employers seeking part-time employees. Along with a free CV search tool, you can also sign up for more comprehensive programs that allow you to post ads and reach ideal candidates.
You can also use Gulf Talent to access valuable resources on recruiting, interviewing, and running a more successful business.
Subscription: Paid
- Pricing available upon request
Indeed is one of the most popular job posting and searching sites in the world. It makes it easy for you to create and publish job ads online and connect with potential candidates through a convenient online dashboard that centralizes all your essential information in one place.
Subscription: Free & Paid
- Indeed offers sponsored ads to help you reach a larger audience
Bayt is a job application portal that caters to job seekers and recruiters based in the UAE. It’s one of the leading job platforms in the Middle East and is a go-to for many people seeking new positions.
Subscription: Free & Paid
- Paid plans start at 157.5 per post
Laimoon is a global job search and online learning platform. It connects you to over a million professionals and is used by over 2,500 companies to hire full and part-time employees.
Subscription: Paid
- Ads cost AED 99
Foundit Gulf is the new version of Monster Gulf. Despite the recent facelift the website experienced, it’s still a reputable solution for businesses looking to hire full and part-time employees in the UAE and throughout the Gulf region.
Subscription: Paid
- Pricing available upon request
Naukrigulf is another popular job site for employers in the Gulf region. It allows you to search millions of CVs from job seekers in over 160 countries and welcomes new candidates every four seconds. The majority of candidates using Naukrigul are highly skilled, with over three years of experience, too.
Subscription: Paid
- Post pricing starts at $60 for one post
Formerly known as IntersMe, Oliv is a UAE-based job site that caters to interns and recent graduates. If you’re looking for highly skilled new graduates to join your company on a part-time basis, check out this site.
Subscription: Paid
- Pricing starts at 190
Jooble is a global job search platform featuring listings across many countries, including the UAE. It makes it easy for you to advertise jobs and communicate with candidates even when you’re on the go because of its convenient mobile app.
Subscription: Free
Talent.com (formerly known as Neuvoo) features job ads from employers in over 78 countries, including employers in the UAE. It also receives visits from over 28 million job seekers each month.
If you want to reach a diverse candidate pool and access a variety of highly efficient and data-driven solutions, Talent.com is an excellent option.
Subscription: Free
An alternative to hiring part-time employees in the UAE is working with freelancers on a part-time, per-project basis. Upwork is one of the world’s most popular platforms that helps you connect with freelancers in numerous fields, including tech, writing, marketing, admin, and more.
Subscription: Free
WorkNass is another good option for employers looking to connect with freelancers in the UAE (or in other countries). You can use WorkNass to reach highly skilled professionals in almost any field and start working with them right away, all from your computer.
Subscription: Free
Glassdoor is an employer branding and recruiting website. You can use it to post advertisements for part-time positions at your company, but it also helps you highlight the benefits of being an employee at your business, which can help you fill vacancies sooner.
Subscription: Free & Paid
- Pricing available upon request
Truelancer makes it easy for you to connect with freelancers who are highly skilled in writing, design, development, and more. It’s a convenient, easily navigable platform that also offers money-back guarantees (so there’s no risk in paying freelancers).
Subscription: Free
Innovation UAE is a recruiting and staffing agency that helps employers fill all kinds of vacancies at their companies — including openings for highly skilled part-time workers. The agency assists with temporary staffing, outsourced staffing, payroll, and pension services.
Subscription: Paid
- Pricing available upon request
247 Careers 4 Freshers is a popular job site for students seeking work in numerous industries, from tech to banking. It also features plenty of part-time jobs, which are a great fit for students with busy schedules.
Subscription: Free
Google Jobs is a cost-effective and easy-to-use hiring platform for companies across the globe, including part-time jobs in the UAE. If you want your job ad to show up in people’s searches and get in front of a larger audience, you can’t go wrong with posting openings on Google Jobs.
Subscription: Free
Tanqeeb provides access to over 2.5 million job seekers.
It offers employers an advanced collection of candidate management tools that help with candidate viewing, filtering, and ranking. You can even add comments to organize your recruitment process further.
Tanqeeb also provides access to an extensive CV database for even more candidate search options.
Subscription: Paid
- Pricing available upon request
Start Hiring Part-Timers in the UAE Today
Hiring part-timers in the UAE can be challenging, especially when it comes to making sure you follow all the country’s laws and regulations.
If you want to hire part-time employees in the UAE, though, follow the guidelines discussed above. They’ll help you through the process and connect you with the best job sites for part-timers in the UAE.
Of all the sites discussed above, GrabJobs is one of the best choices for those who want to employ part-time job seekers in the UAE. This affordable recruitment platform gives you all the tools you need to connect with your ideal candidate and fill vacancies at your business sooner.
Check it out today and get a free 14-day trial (no credit card details required).
