Abu Dhabi, UAE – Since the launch of the Nafis program in September 2021, the localization of employees in the UAE's private sector has seen a significant increase of 170%.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), highlighted this achievement, stating, “We have made historic strides in workforce localization, with over 97,000 Emirati citizens now employed by more than 20,000 private companies.”
However, recent data also revealed that thousands of cases of employee localization data fraud have been discovered by MoHRE from mid-2022 to May 16, 2024.
In a statement on social media platform X, MoHRE announced, “Our inspection teams have identified that 1,379 private companies have employed 2,170 Emirati nationals through non-compliant means, involving suspected data fraud in employee localization.”
The penalties for these companies include fines and mandates to meet localization targets. The ministry specified that fines for each case range from AED 20,000 to AED 100,000.
The Nafis program continues to play a crucial role in boosting Emirati employment in the private sector, despite challenges related to compliance and accurate reporting.
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