Companies with 50 or more employees must meet their targets for the first half of 2025 by June 30
Starting July 1, UAE authorities will commence verifying private sector companies’ adherence to Emiratisation targets. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) will also assess compliance with related requirements, such as registering Emirati employees with the social security fund and ensuring timely payment of contributions.
Companies in the private sector employing 50 or more individuals must achieve their Emiratisation targets for the first half of 2025 by June 30, necessitating at least a 1% increase in Emirati nationals in skilled positions.
Firms are mandated to increase the number of Emiratis in their workforce by 2 per cent annually — 1 per cent in the first half of the year and another 1 per cent in the second.
By this calculation, companies must reach a 7 per cent Emiratisation rate in skilled roles by June 30, and 8 per cent by December 31. Non-compliant firms face monthly fines amounting to thousands of dirhams for each Emirati not employed.
The national mandate is for private sector companies to achieve 10 per cent Emiratisation in skilled roles by the end of 2026.
To combat deceptive practices, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) employs a sophisticated digital field inspection system.
This system actively identifies instances of “fake Emiratisation” or attempts to circumvent the targets. Since mid-2022 and up to April 2025, approximately 2,200 establishments have been flagged for violating Emiratisation policies, leading to legal action.
The number of Emiratis working in the private sector has reached a significant milestone, exceeding 136,000 individuals employed across 28,000 companies by April 2025.
Farida Al Ali, Mohre’s Assistant Undersecretary of National Talents, highlighted that the robust performance of the labor market and the UAE’s rapid economic growth are empowering private sector companies to meet their Emiratisation targets.
She added that Mohre will continue to offer incentives and benefits to businesses that achieve exceptional Emiratisation results.
These perks include financial discounts of up to 80% on Mohre service fees and priority access to the government procurement system.
