Companies with 50 or more employees
Ministerial Resolution No. 279 of 2022 requires private-sector companies with more than 50 workers to raise the Emiratisation rate in skilled jobs by 2 percent a year, gradually reaching 10 percent by 2026, and to employ at least one UAE national for every 50 skilled workers or part of that number. MOHRE announces the semi-annual milestones: its pages describe 1 percent growth in each half of the year, with the 2026 target to be met by 31 December 2026. A UAE national counts toward the target only with a valid work permit, a wage paid through the Wages Protection System, registration with an approved pension fund and an employment relationship under the Labour Law.
Companies with 20 to 49 employees
MOHRE requires companies in 14 specified sectors to employ at least one UAE national in 2024 and another in 2025, and to keep Emiratis already employed. The sectors are information and communications, finance and insurance, real estate, professional and technical activities, administrative and support services, education, human health and social work, arts and entertainment, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade, transportation and storage, and accommodation and food service. We did not find a 2026 target for this group in the official sources, so check with MOHRE.
How the checker works
For 50 or more employees it shows the 10 percent end-of-2026 target applied to your skilled headcount, rounded up, compares it with the one-per-50 minimum, uses the higher figure and shows the gap to your current Emirati headcount. It does not state a financial contribution. The resolution sets a monthly contribution for each Emirati not employed, but we could not confirm the 2026 amount on an official page, so we have left the amount out. How "skilled job" is defined is also set by MOHRE, so use its classification.
Keep the evidence
Targets are checked against MOHRE records, not against your own list. For each Emirati you count, keep the work permit, proof that the wage is paid through the Wages Protection System, proof of registration with an approved pension fund and the employment contract. MOHRE's notice of 27 October 2025 told companies subject to the policy to meet their 2025 targets before 31 December 2025, with financial contributions applying from 1 January 2026, so plan hiring early in the year and not in the last weeks. Read more in our Workforce OS overview of Emiratisation tracking.