Ministerial Resolution No. 279 of 2022 · UAE Federal
Requires MoHRE-registered establishments with 50 or more workers to raise the Emirati share of skilled jobs by 2 percentage points a year, reaching 10% by 2026. Non-compliant establishments pay AED 6,000 per month for each Emirati not hired from January 2023, rising by AED 1,000 each year, and face work-permit suspension and downgrade to Category 3 after two years.
Ministerial Resolution No. 279 of 2022 is the MoHRE instrument that monitors Emiratisation rates in private-sector establishments with 50 or more workers and imposes financial contributions on those that miss their targets. The resolution's own text is not published on the federal legislation portal; the official description below is taken from the UAE Government portal page on employing Emiratis in the private sector, which names the Resolution and sets out the regime it implements.
Under the Cabinet decision the Resolution implements, establishments registered with the Ministry that employ 50 or more workers must raise the Emirati share of skilled jobs by 2% a year, reaching a 10% overall increase by 2026. The Ministry, with the Cabinet Secretariat, monitors the rate. Since 2023 a non-compliant establishment has paid AED 6,000 a month for every Emirati it has failed to employ, and that amount rises by AED 1,000 each year until 2026. Establishments that perform well in training and employing citizens receive incentives, including membership of the Emiratisation Partners Club reorganised by Ministerial Resolution No. 438 of 2024.
The portal sets out the employer obligations that accompany a compliant hire: a suitable workplace, tools and training, a MoHRE work permit, a compliant contract, payment through the Wage Protection System, enrolment in the pension system within a month, and cancellation of the permit when employment ends. From 1 January 2026 the minimum monthly wage for Emiratis in the private sector is AED 6,000, and an employer may not pay an Emirati less than peers in the same role or deduct pay because of government support (Ministerial Resolution No. 663 of 2022).
Violations and penalties sit in separate Cabinet instruments. The portal still cites Cabinet Resolution No. 95 of 2022 and its amendment by Cabinet Resolution No. 44 of 2023, which added penalties for cutting staff, reclassifying employees or other deceptive means of avoiding targets; the current schedule is Cabinet Resolution No. 43 of 2025. For establishments with 20 to 49 employees in 14 sectors, Ministerial Resolution No. 455 of 2023 sets a separate one-Emirati-per-year target with contributions of AED 96,000 and AED 108,000, and that Resolution refers non-payment back to the procedure in Resolution No. 279 of 2022.
Private-sector establishments registered with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation that employ 50 or more workers, in respect of their skilled jobs. Establishments of 20 to 49 workers in the 14 listed sectors are reached instead by Ministerial Resolution No. 455 of 2023, which borrows this Resolution's non-payment procedure.
English official text in 5 passages. Open the full text or jump to a provision:
| Section: Emiratisation targets in the private sector | The Cabinet approved raising skilled-job Emiratisation in establishments with 50 or more workers by 2% annually, for an overall 10% increase by 2026, monitored by the Ministry with the Cabinet Secretariat. |
| Section: Emiratisation targets in the private sector | Since 2023 non-compliant establishments pay AED 6,000 monthly for every citizen not employed, and the amount rises by AED 1,000 each year until 2026; compliant establishments receive incentives. |
| Section: Expansion of the Emiratisation targets | Establishments with 20 to 49 workers in 14 sectors must employ one Emirati by the end of 2024 and another by the end of 2025, or pay AED 96,000 and AED 108,000, under Ministerial Resolution No. 455 of 2023. |
| Section: Compliance with the Emiratisation regulations | Employers hiring Emiratis must provide a workplace, tools and training, obtain a work permit, use a compliant contract, pay through WPS, enrol the employee in the pension system within a month, and cancel the permit at exit; the minimum wage is AED 6,000 from 1 January 2026. |
| Section: Violations of Emiratisation targets and Nafis' objectives | Fake Emiratisation and related abuses are fined under the Cabinet's Nafis penalties resolution, with added penalties for cutting staff or reclassifying employees to avoid targets, and fine criteria in Ministerial Resolution No. 296 of 2023. |
Financial contribution of AED 6,000 per month for each Emirati not employed against the target, payable since January 2023 and increasing by AED 1,000 each year until 2026. Sham Emiratisation, false data and circumvention by cutting or reclassifying staff are fined separately under the Cabinet's Nafis penalties resolution, now Cabinet Resolution No. 43 of 2025, with escalating fines of AED 100,000 to 500,000 for circumvention.
Clients approaching 50 employees must either plan Emirati hiring in skilled roles or budget the annual contribution, so we flag the threshold during structuring and headcount planning and model both costs. A compliant hire needs a MoHRE permit, a WPS-paid contract at or above AED 6,000 and GPSSA enrolment within a month; we run that sequence for clients and keep the evidence, because the Ministry audits for sham Emiratisation. Where a client's headcount sits just under 50, or straddles several licences, we check how the Ministry counts workers before any restructuring, since reclassifying staff to avoid the target is itself penalised. We note that the Resolution text is not on the legislation portal and rely on the Ministry's published position and the u.ae page when quoting figures.
| Cites | Nafis Violations and Penalties 2022 (repealed) · Emiratisation Targets (20–49 employees) |
“Cites” and “Cited by” are built automatically from references in the full texts held in this library; they cover only instruments in the library.
Emiratisation Targets (20–49 employees)
Extends Emiratisation to establishments with 20 to 49 employees in 14 selected economic activities: at least one Emirati must be employed in 2024 and a second in 2025. Mi…
Nafis Violations and Penalties 2025
Current penalty regime for Emiratisation abuse: sham Emiratisation and false data carry fines of AED 20,000 to 100,000 per worker or case; circumventing targets costs AED…
Nafis Violations and Penalties 2022 (repealed)
The first schedule of administrative fines for Emiratisation fraud under the Nafis programme: fictitious hiring, falsified documents, invalid paperwork and breaches of la…
UAE Labour Law
The principal private-sector employment law: fixed-term contracts, work permits, probation, working hours, leave, wages, termination, end-of-service gratuity, non-compete…
Pension and Social Security Law (GPSSA)
The GPSSA pension law for UAE nationals joining a covered employer after it took effect; those already insured under Federal Law No. 7 of 1999 stay under that law. Contri…
Classification of Private Sector Establishments
Sorts MoHRE-registered establishments into three categories that drive work-permit fees and incentives. Category 1 requires full compliance with labour, permit, contract …
WPS Resolution 2026
The current Wage Protection System rules: wages fall due on the first day of each month and at least 85% of wages due must pass through WPS-authorised channels. Measures …
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