The World Bank group stated that the United Arab Emirates is the only country in the Middle East and North Africa region with legislation on remote work. Currently, no other country in the region has regulations regarding flexible working hours. The World Bank, through a special study conducted by five researchers, highlighted that remote work (especially from home) and flexible working hours are more than just convenient work conditions for employees. They are drivers of economic inclusion and growth, enhance productivity, improve work-life balance, and help economies fully utilize their workforce potential. The study, published on the World Bank’s blog, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of such arrangements, prompting a global reassessment of traditional work models.

The Women, Business and the Law report responded to this evolving landscape by assessing the existence of laws and policies granting employees the right to request flexible work arrangements, such as flexible hours and remote work. The World Bank said countries legally supporting flexible work create favorable conditions for women to enter and remain in the workforce. The potential economic benefits are significant; according to World Bank estimates, if women participated in the workforce at the same rate as men, long-term per capita income could increase by about 20%. The Women, Business and the Law report compiled historical legal data on flexible work in 190 economies from 1971 to 2024. The report revealed countries that were early adopters of this initiative and those that only recently began legislating work flexibility. It also helped identify regional trends and global legal shifts since the pandemic outbreak.

According to the report, flexible work refers to flexibility in choosing work hours, such as setting start and end times, known as “flexible time.” It also refers to flexibility in choosing the workplace, whether fully or partially outside the usual workplace, known as “remote work.” The report shows that among 190 economies, only 42 (22%) have legislation allowing employees to benefit from flexible time arrangements, while 61 (32%) have legal provisions allowing them to request remote work. However, only 12% of countries (23 out of 190) offer both options, indicating a significant gap in work flexibility. Specifically, 16 economies enacted new laws granting the right to flexible working hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Concurrently, isolation measures during the pandemic highlighted the importance and necessity of remote work. As a result, 38 out of 190 economies issued laws permitting remote work arrangements.