The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) is calling on private sector companies with fifty or more employees to meet their Emiratisation targets for the first half of 2025 by 30 June.
As part of the national drive to enhance local workforce participation, private firms are required to increase the number of UAE nationals in skilled roles by at least one percent of their total workforce within the set timeframe. According to the national mandate, private firms with more than fifty employees are required to raise their hiring of Emirati nationals to their skilled workforce by 2 percent each year. The half-year target, to be achieved by June, would be then to increase the number of UAE citizens employed by at least one percent relative to their total workforce. For companies with fifty employees and more, this means hiring at least one additional Emirati national or increasing the number of Emirati employees by one percent of their total workforce, whichever is higher.
In the UAE, a skilled worker is classified as a professional, working in sales or service occupation and above, who holds a higher education qualification with an attested academic degree from a recognised institution.
From 1 July, the Ministry will begin verifying compliance, ensuring that Emirati employees are properly registered with social security and that contributions are being paid on time. Non-compliant companies will face financial penalties.
Meanwhile, companies that meet or exceed the targets can benefit from government incentives, including up to 80 percent discounts on ministry service fees and priority access to government procurement, through membership in the Emiratisation Partners Club.
Her Excellency Farida Al Ali, Assistant Under-Secretary of National Talents at MoHRE, commended the private sector’s growing engagement, noting that over 136,000 Emiratis are now employed across 28,000 companies as of April.
Her Excellency Farida Al Ali also urged firms to use the Nafis platform to find and hire skilled Emirati talent. To prevent misuse, the Ministry has deployed a digital inspection system that has flagged around 2,200 companies for 'fake Emiratisation' and related violations since mid-2022.