Businesses in the UAE have 50 days to hire Emiratis or pay $20k in fines

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization has warned private sector companies that failing to hire enough Emiratis will result in fines of $20,000 (AED72,000) per year.
Companies with more than 50 employees must ensure that 2 percent of employees are Emirati before the deadline of January 1 rolls around in just 50 days. The move is in line with the government’s Nafis initiative.
Firms that fail to meet the targets will be fined at a rate of AED6,000 a month or AED72,000 a year.
“We reaffirm our belief in developing the UAE labor market in partnership with the private sector to help achieve an improved business environment and investment climate that encourages companies, investors, entrepreneurs, and talented people from all over the world to work in the UAE, especially in strategic sectors,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“Adhering to the legislation regulating the labor market is ultimately in the interest of private sector companies and their employees. The Emiratisation support is carried out through two tracks – the first is to expand the base of jobs available to nationals in the private sector, and the second is to build a safety net that supports them in their career path.
The Nafis program encourages the UAE nationals to enter the private sector while benefiting from the largest possible level of government empowerment and support,” it added.
As per the Nafis initiative, Emirates aims to ensure that 10 percent of the private sector firms are Emiratis by 2026.
The Nafis initiative offers various benefits including the Emirati Salary Support Scheme where UAE citizens will be offered one-year salary support of up to AED8,000 per month during training, and monthly support of up to AED5,000 will be paid for up to five years for university graduates.
The program provides UAE citizens specialized in fields such as coders, nurses, and accountants with a top-up on their current salaries.
The initiative boosts the incomes of UAE citizens with specializations in professions including coding, nursing, and accounting.