On Monday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially approved a remote work system for government entities, permitting employees to work from locations outside the country.

This initiative aims to harness global talent and expertise to support government operations, including special tasks, project completions, and relevant studies.

The introduction of this remote work system marks a significant expansion of existing practices, as remote work has been in place within federal entities since 2017. However, this is the first instance of the policy being applied to those working from outside the UAE.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, noted the potential benefits of this system in a post on social media, highlighting the opportunity for the UAE to access specialized talent to execute important projects and studies for federal bodies.

The framework includes provisions for identifying specific roles that can be performed remotely from outside the country, as well as detailing the responsibilities and conditions for contracted employees.

In conjunction with the remote work approval, the UAE Cabinet also reviewed the National Digital Economy Strategy.

This strategy aims to increase the digital economy's contribution to the national GDP from 9.7% to 19.4%.

Sheikh Mohammed reiterated the UAE's commitment to enhancing its position in the global digital economy through ambitious initiatives and projects intended over the next six years.