And five years ago in UAE:
A new labour law will make it easier for many expatriates to switch jobs.
From January 1, skilled and professional workers will no longer be required to obtain a no-objection certificate from a former employer in order to take up a new position.
Instead, they will need a visa stamp from the Ministry of Labour.
Unskilled and semi-skilled workers will still need their employers' consent, but only in the first two years of a job.
Even for lower-level staff, companies will lose the right to stop them from getting another job if the firm fails to meet basic employment standards, for example, by not paying salaries for 60 days.
Under the current system, employers can refuse to issue a no-objection certificate, forcing expatriate staff to go abroad for six months before taking up a new position. That often makes it all but impossible to secure another job.
Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour, said the move was intended to "improve the labour market and limit any wrong practices".
"The UAE is determined to protect the rights and benefits of the labourers as well as their employers," the state news agency WAM quoted him as saying, "particularly those concerned with international labour policies ... whilst preserving the sovereignty of the UAE over its territories."
Last week, the minister called on the Federal National Council to hold a session discussing the issue. "When the contractual relationship ends between the two parties, logic dictates that each party becomes free in determining the new relationship they want to enter into," he wrote in a letter to the FNC.
At the same time, Mr Ghobash said the Government planned to reform rather than abolish the sponsorship system.
Labour laws are being reformed across the Gulf. Last year, Bahrain scrapped the sponsorship system, while Kuwait is overhauling its labour legislation.
In April, Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, criticised the sponsorship system used in GCC states, saying it tied migrants to their employers and enabled abuse. She urged all Gulf states to replace the system "with updated labour laws that can better balance rights and duties".
And five years ago in UAE:
A new labour law will make it easier for many expatriates to switch jobs.
From January 1, skilled and professional workers will no longer be required to obtain a no-objection certificate from a former employer in order to take up a new position.
Instead, they will need a visa stamp from the Ministry of Labour.
Unskilled and semi-skilled workers will still need their employers' consent, but only in the first two years of a job.
Even for lower-level staff, companies will lose the right to stop them from getting another job if the firm fails to meet basic employment standards, for example, by not paying salaries for 60 days.
Under the current system, employers can refuse to issue a no-objection certificate, forcing expatriate staff to go abroad for six months before taking up a new position. That often makes it all but impossible to secure another job.
Saqr Ghobash, the Minister of Labour, said the move was intended to "improve the labour market and limit any wrong practices".
"The UAE is determined to protect the rights and benefits of the labourers as well as their employers," the state news agency WAM quoted him as saying, "particularly those concerned with international labour policies ... whilst preserving the sovereignty of the UAE over its territories."
Last week, the minister called on the Federal National Council to hold a session discussing the issue. "When the contractual relationship ends between the two parties, logic dictates that each party becomes free in determining the new relationship they want to enter into," he wrote in a letter to the FNC.
At the same time, Mr Ghobash said the Government planned to reform rather than abolish the sponsorship system.
Labour laws are being reformed across the Gulf. Last year, Bahrain scrapped the sponsorship system, while Kuwait is overhauling its labour legislation.
In April, Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, criticised the sponsorship system used in GCC states, saying it tied migrants to their employers and enabled abuse. She urged all Gulf states to replace the system "with updated labour laws that can better balance rights and duties".