A total of 79,000 UAE nationals work in the private sector, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE). The deadline for companies with 50 employees or more to achieve 1% Emiratisation growth in skilled jobs expired on Sunday.
According to MoHRE, these numbers reflect the highest-ever rate of Emiratisation in the UAE private sector, which represents a 57% increase over the end of 2022 figures when 50,228 UAE nationals worked in the sector.
In the private sector, nearly 17,000 UAE citizens were employed as of July 7, which was the last day for companies to achieve their semi-annual Emiratisation targets.
"The noticeable increase in the number of Emirati citizens employed in the private sector reflects the effectiveness of the Emiratisation policies, which have been implemented on a semi-annual basis since this year," said Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization.
“With these efforts, Emiratisation targets have been met faster, and continuous recruitment has been ensured throughout the year, in accordance with UAE leadership directives and under His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's supervision as UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council.
This growth demonstrates the private sector's awareness and commitment to its responsibilities as a partner in the Emiratisation process, guided by a vision of enhancing the UAE's human development system.
“It is our goal to empower Emiratis to thrive in the private sector, increase their competitiveness, and participate actively in the economic and overall development of our country, where the private sector plays an important and driving role.
Awar expressed his confidence in the private sector's ability to continue meeting Emiratisation targets, especially since the Ministry and Nafis are helping businesses comply with their responsibilities.
At the MoHRE, Her Excellency Aisha Belharfia, Acting Undersecretary for Emiratisation Affairs and Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, said: “The Ministry continues to provide benefits to companies that actively participate in Emiratisation plans and programs through the Tawteen Partners Club, which offers discounts of up to 80 percent on service fees..”
Added, "We will work with our partners to achieve our vision of making the Emirati labour market accessible to Emirati talent and attractive to qualified professionals worldwide through integrated legislation and initiatives."
More than 50,000 Emiratis have joined the private sector since the launch of Nafis in September 2021, according to Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council.
“The overall growth in the number of Emirati citizens in the private sector reflects the success of the Nafis programme, which works in partnership with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation. “Plans and programmes are implemented to provide qualified Emiratis with the appropriate tools and support, and to enable companies to meet their Emiratisation commitments,” he explained.
During the second half of 2023, UAE-based companies with 50 or more employees must increase their number of UAE citizens employed in skilled jobs by 1 per cent, which means achieving an overall growth of 2 per cent by the end of the year.