Authorities in the UAE will begin verifying private sector companies’ compliance with Emiratisation targets starting July 1. Additionally, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) will check whether companies are meeting other related requirements, including registering Emirati employees with the social security fund and consistently paying the required contributions.
Private sector companies with 50 or more employees must meet their Emiratisation targets for the first half of 2025 by June 30. They are required to achieve at least a 1 per cent increase in the number of UAE nationals employed in skilled roles.
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.
The ministry uses a digital field inspection system to detect fraudulent practices, such as ‘fake Emiratisation’ or attempts to circumvent the targets. “Between mid-2022 and April 2025, the system successfully flagged around 2,200 establishments found to be in violation of Emiratisation policies and decisions, and legal actions have been taken against them,” the ministry said.
The number of Emiratis working in the private sector has reached an “unprecedented milestone” of over 136,000 employed across 28,000 companies as of the end of April 2025.
Farida Al Ali, Mohre’s Assistant Undersecretary of National Talents, said: “The impressive performance we have seen in the labour market, coupled with the UAE’s rapid economic growth, serves to enhance private sector companies’ ability to meet their Emiratisation targets.”
She noted that the ministry will continue offering incentives and benefits to companies that achieve exceptional Emiratisation results. These include financial discounts of up to 80 percent on Mohre service fees and priority access to the government procurement system.
