Labor Minister Adel Fakeih said Sunday that he expected a Cabinet decision soon on the issue of 9 p.m. closure of shops. “The experts commission of the Council of Ministers is giving the new law final touches to get it endorsed by the Cabinet, he said.

The move, which has been applauded by both Saudis and expatriates, is aimed at creating a better working atmosphere for Saudis. The Labor Ministry intends to provide 1.5 million jobs for Saudis in the retail sector, which is currently dominated by expats.

The ministry had presented the proposal prepared by a high-level committee to higher authorities about 13 months ago. It proposes different working hours for shops, restaurants and recreational and fun centers.

Some government departments have called for dividing the retail shops into two groups, allowing the first group to open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the other group from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Shops in the central region of Makkah and Madinah will be exempted from the law, an informed source said, adding that local municipalities would determine such exemptions.

During the fasting month of Ramadan, shops will be allowed to work until 2 a.m. and restaurants until the call for Fajr prayer.

Speaking about shops and sales points that work 24 hours, the source said it would be determined by a joint committee comprising officials from the ministries of interior, labor, and municipality.

Recreation and fun centers as well as restaurants and coffee shops will remain open until midnight and during holidays until 1 a.m., the source said, adding that shop owners would be given six months to comply with the new system, which was prepared after studying successful experiments of advanced countries.

Abubakar Abdurahman, a business analyst, said the new move would change the culture of keeping awake late in the night by Saudis and expats and increase their productivity. “Early to bed and early to rise will make us healthy, wealthy and prosperous,” he told Arab News.

Analysts believe the new working hours would encourage more Saudi women to work at lingerie shops. It will also encourage unskilled Saudis to work at retail shops.

The Kingdom’s retail sector is valued at SR200 billion with 242,000 licensed retail shops and commercial centers according to a study. With a market share of SR54 billion, food outlets dominate the sector. Between 70 and 80 percent of the workers in the sector are expatriates.

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