UAE announces 10% Emiratization quota for private firms over next 5 years

Stating economic reforms, the UAE government have announced on Sunday that 10% of employees in private companies should be Emiratis. The new rule will be executed over the next five years.

Emirati Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Abdullah Al-Gergawi said that an initial requirement of 2% will be implemented in the first year.

However, the new rule is applicable only to "skilled labour" positions and the government will work closely with private sector companies to achieve the goal, reported Arab News.

The country's campaign to integrate locals into the private sector (Emiratisation) is a project worth 24 billion dirhams. Following this, 75,000 private sector jobs will be created for Emiratis. UAE nationals will also get allowances and bonuses, especially if they work in nursing, programming, and entrepreneurship.

The UAE government aims to have 10,000 Emirati nurses in the next five years. Entrepreneurs will be allowed to take a partially paid leave of absence for up to a year. There will also be subsidised training programmes for locals.

Alain Bejjani, chief executive officer of Majid Al Futtaim, one of the UAE's biggest employers, said that they do not look at localisation as a compliance issue but as a competitive advantage. "Enriching the workforce with local talent gives companies the granularity of understanding of the market you operate in, and the ability to outperform your competitors".