Emiratisation: Emiratisation, counted
the way MOHRE counts it.
How UAE Emiratisation targets work for private companies: who they apply to, what counts as a skilled role, the yearly targets and the cost of a shortfall.
The short answer
UAE private companies with 50 or more employees must raise the share of UAE nationals in skilled roles by two percentage points a year: to 9% by 30 June and 10% by 31 December 2026. A shortfall is charged monthly per unfilled position, reaching AED 10,000 from 2026 on the AED 1,000 yearly rise, and since 1 January 2026 an Emirati must be paid at least AED 6,000 a month.
Emiratisation is counted against one specific number, the share of UAE nationals in skilled roles, and most of the mistakes come from measuring the wrong thing. This is how the count works and what a gap costs.
Which companies do the Emiratisation targets apply to?
The percentage targets apply to private-sector companies with 50 or more employees. Companies with 20 to 49 employees in 14 listed sectors have a smaller rule from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE): at least one UAE citizen hired by the end of 2024 and one more by the end of 2025.
The 14 sectors are information and communications, finance and insurance, real estate, professional, scientific and technical activities, administrative and support services, education, healthcare and social work, arts and entertainment, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail, transport and warehousing, and hospitality. A company that missed the rule owed AED 96,000 in January 2025 for 2024, and AED 108,000 in January 2026 for 2025. The portal page we read sets no step after 2025, so check with MOHRE for your own company.
What counts as a skilled role?
The target is not a share of your whole headcount. It is a share of your skilled workforce. MOHRE classifies workers into nine professional levels, and the UAE Government portal treats work as skilled only when all of these are true:
- The worker is at one of the first five professional levels
- The worker holds a certificate above secondary level, or its equivalent
- The certificate is attested by the competent authorities
- The monthly salary, leaving out commission, is at least AED 4,000
| Level | Covers |
|---|---|
| 1 | Legislators, managers and business executives |
| 2 | Professionals in scientific, technical and human fields |
| 3 | Technicians in scientific, technical and humanitarian fields |
| 4 | Writing professionals |
| 5 | Service and sales occupations |
| 6 | Skilled workers in agriculture, fisheries and animal husbandry |
| 7 | Craftsmen in construction, mining and other trades |
| 8 | Machinery and equipment operators and assemblers |
| 9 | Simple professions |
The skilled-worker test is where the counting goes wrong. A company with 400 employees and 80 people who meet that test is measured on the 80. An employee with no level or certificate on file cannot be counted either way, so gaps make your own figure unreliable before MOHRE ever looks at it. Some summaries still describe five levels with 1 to 3 as skilled. This guide follows the portal's text.
What are the Emiratisation targets each year?
The requirement rises by two percentage points a year, with a checkpoint at the end of June and another at the end of December.
| Year | By 30 June | By 31 December |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5% | 6% |
| 2025 | 7% | 8% |
| 2026 onward | 9% | 10% |
What does an Emiratisation shortfall cost?
A company that is short pays a monthly contribution for every position it has not filled: AED 8,000 per position in 2024, AED 9,000 in 2025 and, on the same AED 1,000 yearly rise, AED 10,000 from 2026. The yearly totals we could read on the UAE Government portal stop at 2025, so confirm the 2026 amount with MOHRE.
A worked example
A company has 100 people in skilled roles and 7 of them are UAE nationals. The 2026 year-end target is 10 per cent, which is 10 positions, so it is 3 short. Three positions at AED 10,000 a month comes to AED 360,000 over a year.
What is the minimum salary for an Emirati employee?
From 1 January 2026 an Emirati employee in the private sector has to be paid at least AED 6,000 a month. The ministry applies it when a work permit is issued, renewed or amended, and gave employers until 30 June 2026 to raise the pay of Emiratis already on their books.
A national paid below the floor is a problem for the permit, and in practice for whether that person counts towards the target at all.
How do you keep the Emiratisation count right?
- Record the MOHRE level, the attested certificate and the salary for every employee, and review them when someone is promoted
- Record nationality on the employee record, since the count depends on it
- Watch the number through the year, not in the last week of June
- Remember that a hire who does not meet the skilled test does not move the percentage
- Model the cost of a shortfall before deciding whether to hire or pay
Counting an employee towards the target also depends on how they are registered with MOHRE and the pension authority. Take advice on your own position before relying on a figure.
What must an employer do when it hires an Emirati?
- Obtain a UAE national work permit from MOHRE and sign a contract in line with its regulations
- Pay the salary through the Wage Protection System
- Register the employee for pension and start contributing within a month of the work permit being issued
- Provide a suitable workplace, the tools for the job and the minimum training it requires
- Report any change to the contract that may affect the employee's eligibility for Nafis benefits
- Cancel the work permit immediately when the contract ends
An employer must not pay an Emirati less than colleagues in the same position, or cut the salary because the employee receives government support.
What counts as fake Emiratisation?
The portal lists violations under Cabinet Resolution No. 95 of 2022, including fake Emiratisation and fraud to gain Nafis benefits or get round the targets, an employee who never starts after the permit is issued while support continues, and irregular attendance or absence that the company does not report to Nafis.
Cabinet Resolution No. 44 of 2023 adds penalties for avoiding the target by cutting the workforce or reclassifying employees. So a change in headcount or job titles made close to a checkpoint should have a reason on file.
DenwaysHR works out your Emirati share of skilled roles from the records, shows the next checkpoint and projects the cost of a shortfall. It stores five skill levels and counts 1 to 3 as skilled, which is not the portal's test above, so check its figure against that test. It is a tracker: it does not file anything with MOHRE.
See the compliance dashboardSources
- UAE Government portal: Employing Emiratis in the private sector (Emiratisation targets, contributions, pension registration)
- UAE Government portal: Professional levels of jobs in the UAE
Official pages, as they stood on the date above. The law is the authority; check it, or ask your adviser, before acting on a figure.
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