Fines ranged between AED20,000 to AED100,000 per case, according to MOHRE
A total of 1,379 private companies in the United Arab Emirates have been fined for "attempting to circumvent" Emiratisation targets from mid-2022 to May 16, 2024.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) said on Friday that these private firms have illegally hired 2,170 UAE nationals. They attempted to "circumvent Emiratisation targets" and "engaged in Fake Emiratisation" from mid-2022 until May 16, 2024.
As a result, these firms each were fined between AED20,000 to AED100,000, according to MOHRE. They were also required to pay Emiratisation financial contributions and achieve actual Emiratisation targets.
Other actions taken against these firms include getting classified in the lowest level in MOHRE's systems and being referred to the Public Prosecution based on the severance of the violation.
"Harmful practices that aim to undermine Emiratisation commitments will be dealt with firmly and according to the law," MOHRE said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Source: Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
Private sector firms in the UAE with 50 or more employees are required to fulfil Emiratisation targets, which seeks to ramp up the employment of UAE citizens. Every employer must increase the number of its Emirati employees at skilled jobs by one per cent every six months to achieve a two-per-cent Emiratisation rate by the end of the year.
This is part of the government's bigger goal of achieving a 10% Emiratisation rate for private sector employees by the end of 2026.
As of May 16, MOHRE said over there are now over 97,000 Emiratis in the private sector, with more than 20,000 private firms hiring Emiratis and complying with Emiratisation policies and decisions.
In its statement, MOHRE urged the public to report employers who are non-compliant with their Emiratisation targets.
"We encourage the public to report any practices conflicting with Emiratisation policies and decisions by reaching out to our call centre at 600590000 or using the Ministry's smart App & website," the ministry said.
