Saudi government workers will be paid according to the Gregorian calendar instead of the Islamic Hijri calendar, making the working month longer as part of cost-cutting measures, AFP reported Monday (October 3rd).
The change, approved by the cabinet last week, brings civil service pay in line with the government's January-December fiscal year, Saudi media reported.
The reports said the latest austerity measure took effect on October 1st.
The Hijri calendar consists of 12 months of 29 or 30 days depending on the sighting of the moon, meaning the Islamic year is several days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, which is widely used in the world.
Last week, the cabinet also cut by 20% the salaries of ministers and froze the wages of lower-ranked civil servants.
Almost twice as many Saudis are employed in the public sector, where hours are shorter and leave longer, than in private firms.
