{
  "name": "UAE Emiratisation Compliance Index 2026",
  "publisher": "ZETUP PRO Corporate Services",
  "url": "https://zetup.ae/en/uae-emiratisation-compliance-index",
  "description": "2026 UAE Emiratisation requirements by company size (under 20 / 20–49 designated-sector / 50+ employees): skilled-workforce targets and non-compliance penalties, plus the Emirati minimum wage and MOHRE work-permit reference. All figures from official u.ae sources; the AED 9,000/month 2026 fine is derived (AED 6,000/mo since 2023 + AED 1,000/yr).",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "citation": "ZETUP PRO Corporate Services. (2026). UAE Emiratisation Compliance Index 2026. Retrieved from https://zetup.ae/en/uae-emiratisation-compliance-index",
  "updated": "2026-07",
  "updatedIso": "2026-07-21",
  "spatialCoverage": "United Arab Emirates",
  "currency": "AED",
  "officialSource": {
    "label": "u.ae — Emiratis' employment in the private sector",
    "url": "https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/jobs/employment-in-the-private-sector/emiratis-employment-in-private-sector"
  },
  "tiers": [
    {
      "companySize": "Fewer than 20 employees",
      "target": "No federal Emiratisation target",
      "penalty2026": "None"
    },
    {
      "companySize": "20–49 employees (14 designated sectors)",
      "target": "Hire at least 1 UAE national by end-2024, and at least 2 by end-2025 (Ministerial Resolution 455/2023)",
      "penalty2026": "AED 108,000 in January 2026 for failing to hire two Emiratis in 2025 (a single annual contribution for the shortfall)"
    },
    {
      "companySize": "50 or more employees (MOHRE-registered)",
      "target": "10% of the SKILLED workforce by end-2026, rising 2 percentage points a year",
      "penalty2026": "AED 9,000 per month for each unfilled skilled position"
    }
  ],
  "keyFigures": [
    {
      "item": "Emirati private-sector minimum wage",
      "value": "AED 6,000/month",
      "note": "Effective 1 January 2026"
    },
    {
      "item": "Which workforce counts",
      "value": "Skilled roles only (MOHRE skill levels 1–5)",
      "note": "The 10% target is of the skilled workforce, not total headcount"
    },
    {
      "item": "MOHRE work permit",
      "value": "AED 250–3,450",
      "note": "By company classification A / B / C"
    },
    {
      "item": "How compliance is checked",
      "value": "Periodic MOHRE assessment",
      "note": "Non-compliance also risks work-permit suspension and a MOHRE classification downgrade"
    }
  ],
  "exactAnswers": [
    {
      "question": "What is the Emiratisation target for 2026?",
      "answer": "Companies with 50 or more employees must reach 10% Emiratisation of their SKILLED workforce (MOHRE skill levels 1–5) by the end of 2026, with the target rising 2 percentage points a year."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the Emiratisation fine in 2026?",
      "answer": "For 50+ employee firms, AED 9,000 per month for each unfilled skilled position (up from AED 6,000 in 2023, rising AED 1,000 a year). For 20–49 employee firms in the 14 designated sectors, AED 108,000 in January 2026 as a single annual contribution for the shortfall."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do companies with 20–49 employees have an Emiratisation requirement?",
      "answer": "Yes, if they operate in one of the 14 designated sectors (Ministerial Resolution 455/2023): they must hire at least one UAE national by end-2024 and at least two by end-2025. Non-compliance carries AED 108,000 in January 2026."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is the 10% Emiratisation target based on total or skilled headcount?",
      "answer": "It is 10% of the SKILLED workforce (MOHRE skill levels 1–5, salary from AED 4,000/month), not 10% of total headcount — a common and costly misreading."
    },
    {
      "question": "What is the minimum wage for Emiratis in the private sector?",
      "answer": "AED 6,000 per month, effective 1 January 2026 (u.ae)."
    },
    {
      "question": "Are free-zone companies exempt from Emiratisation?",
      "answer": "No official source states free zones are exempt. The targets are addressed to MOHRE-registered (mainland) firms; if you operate in a free zone, confirm your status with MOHRE rather than assuming exemption."
    }
  ],
  "notes": [
    "The AED 9,000/month figure for 2026 is derived, not printed by u.ae: contributions began at AED 6,000/month in 2023 and rise by AED 1,000 a year until 2026 (→ 9,000). If that schedule is restated, re-derive.",
    "The 20–49 penalty is a single annual contribution for the shortfall (u.ae verbatim: 'AED 108,000 in January 2026 for failing to hire two Emiratis in 2025') — it is NOT the 50+ tier's per-position monthly rate multiplied out.",
    "Free-zone exemption is NOT officially stated: the targets are addressed to MOHRE-registered (mainland) firms, but no official page declares free zones exempt. Confirm your status with MOHRE rather than assuming exemption.",
    "The Nafis programme supports the salaries of Emiratis in the private sector, but its top-up ceiling is not published by nafis.gov.ae, so no figure is stated here. Figures verified against u.ae as of 2026-07; confirm current targets and penalties with MOHRE."
  ]
}