UAE Emiratisation calculator for 2026 targets: Your 2026 Emirati target,
and the cost of missing it.
A company with 50 or more employees needs UAE nationals in 9% of its skilled roles by 30 June 2026 and 10% by 31 December. Each position short is charged every month, rising AED 1,000 a year: AED 10,000 in 2026 if the rise held, which MOHRE should confirm.
UAE nationals needed by 31 December 2026
10% of skilled roles10 UAE nationals needed in skilled roles by 31 December 2026. 3 short: AED 30,000 a month, AED 360,000 over twelve months.
10 people
3 short: AED 30,000 a month, AED 360,000 over twelve months.
AED 10,000 a position each month is the 2026 amount on the AED 1,000 yearly rise. The portal's yearly totals stop at 2025, so confirm it with MOHRE.
How this was worked out
- 30 June 2026 checkpoint (100 × 9%)
- 9 people
- 31 December 2026 target (100 × 10%)
- 10 people
- UAE nationals in skilled roles now
- 7
- Short at year end (10 − 7)
- 3
- Each month (3 × AED 10,000)
- AED 30,000
- Over twelve months (AED 30,000 × 12)
- AED 360,000
DenwaysHR keeps this count from the employee records. It stores five skill levels and counts 1 to 3 as skilled, which is not the portal's test, so check its figure against it.
See the Emiratisation trackerIndicative only. This calculator applies the Emiratisation figures on the UAE Government portal to the figures you enter. Who counts as skilled, which Emiratis count and MOHRE's own figure for your establishment can all change the result. Confirm it with MOHRE before hiring or budgeting on it.
Where these rules come from
- UAE Government portal: Employing Emiratis in the private sector (targets, contributions, pension registration)
- UAE Government portal: Professional levels of jobs in the UAE
The same official pages our Emiratisation guide cites. The law is the authority: check it, or ask your adviser, before acting on a figure.
How the 2026 Emiratisation target is counted
The target is a share of your skilled workforce, not of your whole headcount, and it rises on fixed dates. These are the figures the UAE Government portal publishes for private companies, as our Emiratisation guide sets them out.
The rules the calculator applies
- Companies with 50 or more employees raise the share of UAE nationals in skilled roles by two percentage points a year
- For 2026 that is 9% of skilled roles by 30 June and 10% by 31 December
- A role is skilled when the worker is at one of the first five of MOHRE's nine professional levels, holds an attested certificate above secondary level and earns at least AED 4,000 a month, commission left out
- A shortfall is charged every month for each position not filled: AED 8,000 in 2024, AED 9,000 in 2025 and, on the same AED 1,000 yearly rise, AED 10,000 from 2026
- Companies with 20 to 49 employees in 14 listed sectors had to hire one UAE citizen by the end of 2024 and one more by the end of 2025
- An Emirati counts once registered with the pension authority, and since 1 January 2026 must be paid at least AED 6,000 a month. GCC nationals do not count
The portal's yearly totals stop at 2025, so confirm the 2026 contribution with MOHRE. It sets no 2026 step for companies of 20 to 49, and it does not say how a part position is rounded: the calculator shows the exact target and rounds up to whole people.
A worked example
A company with 100 people in skilled roles, 7 of them UAE nationals, at the end of 2026.
- Year-end target (100 × 10%)
- 10 people
- Short (10 − 7)
- 3
- Each month (3 × AED 10,000)
- AED 30,000
- Over twelve months
- AED 360,000
The 30 June checkpoint is 9 people (100 × 9%), so the same company is 2 short at mid-year. Confirm the AED 10,000 with MOHRE before budgeting on it.
How many Emiratis does my company need in 2026?
With 50 or more employees, UAE nationals in 10% of your skilled roles by 31 December 2026, and 9% by the checkpoint on 30 June. A company with 200 people in skilled roles needs 20 of them filled by UAE nationals by the year end. Count the skilled roles first: the share is not taken of your whole headcount.
What does an Emiratisation shortfall cost in 2026?
A monthly contribution for each position not filled. It was AED 8,000 in 2024 and AED 9,000 in 2025, and on the same AED 1,000 yearly rise it reaches AED 10,000 from 2026. The yearly totals on the UAE Government portal stop at 2025, so confirm the 2026 amount with MOHRE before you budget on it.
Do companies with fewer than 50 employees have a target?
Only companies with 20 to 49 employees in one of 14 listed sectors. They had to hire one UAE citizen by the end of 2024 and one more by the end of 2025. One that missed the rule owed AED 96,000 in January 2025 for 2024, and AED 108,000 in January 2026 for 2025. The portal sets no step after 2025, so check your 2026 position with MOHRE.
Who counts as a skilled employee?
Someone at one of the first five of MOHRE's nine professional levels, with an attested certificate above secondary level and a monthly salary of at least AED 4,000, commission left out. All four have to be true. Some older summaries describe five levels with 1 to 3 as skilled; the Emiratisation guide follows the portal's current text, and so does this calculator.
Which Emirati employees count towards the target?
UAE nationals in skilled roles who are registered with the pension authority. Since 1 January 2026 an Emirati in the private sector must be paid at least AED 6,000 a month for the work permit, so one paid below it is a problem for the count as well. GCC nationals are treated like UAE nationals in MOHRE's procedures but do not count towards the quota.
How does the calculator round a part position?
It shows the exact target, such as 7.5 for 75 skilled roles at 10%, and rounds up to 8 people, because 7 would fall short of 7.5. The portal does not say how MOHRE rounds, so where there is a fraction the working also shows the figure if it were rounded down. MOHRE's own figure for your establishment decides.
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