Kuwait reduces working hours to 6 hours during summer period

KUWAIT CITY, May 21: Kuwait’s Civil Service Commission (CSC) has issued External Circular No. (11) of 2026 regarding official working hours during the summer season, following a decision taken by the Civil Service Council in its meeting No. (8) of 2026 held on May 14, 2026.

According to the circular, working hours in government offices operating under the morning shift system will be reduced by one hour, bringing the total to six working hours per day. The reduction will be implemented while maintaining existing grace periods under the official working hours framework.

For entities applying the flexible working hours system, employees will be allowed to report to work between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., with the flexibility to choose their arrival time within this period. Employees must complete six working hours from their time of arrival, while continuing to adhere to all other provisions of the morning shift system.

The CSC clarified that the reduction in working hours will not apply to shift-based systems regulated by law, except in cases where specific regulations already provide for reduced hours, in which case the six-hour standard will apply. In such cases, this may result in four total working hours depending on the applicable system.

For the evening shift, official working hours will not begin before 5:00 p.m. Employees under this system will be granted a 30-minute grace period at the start of the shift, which cannot be used at the end of the working day. Female employees will continue to benefit from a 15-minute grace period at the end of the shift, while all other existing rules for the evening shift remain unchanged.

The commission also confirmed that all provisions of Civil Service Council Resolution No. (41) of 2006, along with its amendments, will remain in force and must be fully observed.

The circular will come into effect from June 1, 2026, and will remain valid until August 31, 2026, after which regular morning and evening shift schedules will be reinstated.

The directive was issued by CSC President Dr. Essam Saad Abdulrahman Al-Rabeean on May 21, 2026, corresponding to 4 Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 AH.