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UAE's Emiratisation drive: Over 150,000 citizens now working in private sector
This represents a significant increase from the end of April, when 136,000 Emiratis were working in the private sector — nearly 12 per cent growth in just two months
- PUBLISHED: Mon 21 Jul 2025, 2:19 PM
The UAE’s Emiratisation drive has seen record-breaking number of UAE citizens take up jobs in private sector companies, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) announced Monday.
As of June 30, which marked the first-half deadline for meeting the 2025 Emiratisation targets, over 29,000 companies across the country employed 152,000 UAE citizens. This represents a significant increase from the end of April, when 136,000 Emiratis were working in the private sector — indicating a nearly 12 per cent growth in just two months.
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According to Mohre, Emiratis are currently employed across six main economic sectors: business services, financial intermediation, trade, repair services, construction, and manufacturing. They hold a wide range of positions in scientific, technical, and humanitarian disciplines, including roles such as specialists, managers, and administrative staff.
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The ministry highlighted that “the continuous, record-breaking increase in the number of UAE citizens employed in the private sector reflects the sustainability of the country’s economic growth". It further noted a 33 per cent increase in the number of establishments operating in the national labour market over the past year, underscoring the expansion of opportunities.
Under current regulations, companies are required to increase the proportion of Emiratis in their workforce by 2 per cent annually — 1 per cent in the first half of the year and another 1 per cent in the second.
Accordingly, by June 30 this year, companies were expected to achieve a 7 per cent Emiratisation rate in skilled roles, with the target increasing to 8 per cent by December 31. Firms that fail to comply face monthly fines for each Emirati not employed, amounting to thousands of dirhams.
Mohre expressed optimism for continued progress in the second half of 2025. Companies operating in 14 specified economic activities and employing between 20 and 49 workers in a suitable work environment are required to hire at least one Emirati by the end of the year.
To encourage compliance, the ministry offers a range of incentives and benefits to companies that demonstrate outstanding Emiratisation results. These include financial discounts of up to 80 per cent on Mohre service fees and priority access to the government procurement system.
The government maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward fake Emiratisation. MoHRE uses a digital field inspection system to detect fraudulent practices and ensure compliance.
“The ministry provides various channels for reporting negative practices that violate Emiratisation policies in the private sector. Reports can be submitted via the call centre at 600590000, the Mohre smart application, or the official website,” the statement added.
As Associate Editor, Sahim Salim helps tell the UAE story like no one else does — and leads a team of reporters that asks the questions to get news and headlines that matter.