UAE Announces Emiratisation Deadline Extension
The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced a new deadline for private sector companies to achieve their Emiratisation targets. The deadline has been extended from June 30 to July 7, taking into account the upcoming long holiday for Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha.
“The Ministry decided to extend the deadline for achieving Emiratisation targets. Now, private sector companies with 50 employees or more have until 7th July instead of 30th June to achieve a 1 per cent Emiratisation for skilled jobs. We took into consideration the Eid holiday and decided to give companies enough time to achieve their targets. Starting 8th July, non-compliant companies will face an AED 42,000 fine for each Emirati not employed. We call on companies to take advantage of the extension to reach their targets,” MoHRE said via Twitter on Tuesday.
However, the MoHRE said that a fine will be imposed from July 8 on private sector companies failing to meet their Emiratisation targets. The fine, valued at AED42,000 will be given to the company for each Emirati not employed, at a rate of AED7,000 per month for 2023, in line with the Cabinet Decision. The fines will continue to increase by AED1,000 yearly until 2026.
All private sector companies with 50 employees or more must increase the number of their Emirati employees in skilled jobs by one per cent every six months. These companies must achieve a two per cent Emiratisation rate by the end of 2023.
The UAE Emiratisation drive is part of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council’s (Nafis) many initiatives and programmes. By 2026, targeted private sector companies must achieve a 10 per cent Emiratisation rate. The MoHRE has also said that reducing the number of employees or making any modification to their classification will be considered a violation.
