How UAE companies attract, retain Emirati talent to meet targets

How UAE companies attract, retain Emirati talent to meet targets

Private sector companies are stepping up efforts to meet Emiratisation targets — increasingly working with recruitment agencies and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (Nafis). Some are also offering perks and incentives to attract and retain UAE nationals in their workforce. Over the next five years, the UAE Government has set a target of integrating 75,000 Emiratis in the private sector — an increase of two per cent per annum for skilled jobs in private-sector establishments with more than 50 employees, and an overall rate of increase of 10 per cent by 2026. Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) increased the targets to three per cent by July 1 and four per cent by the end of 2023. The deadline for the semi-annual targets, however, was extended from June 30 to July 7 due to the Eid Al Adha holidays. To support the initiative, the government has introduced several programmes and initiatives, including modernising education infrastructure, quotas to incentivise private-sector employment of home-grown talent, rewards and penalty mechanisms, scholarship programmes, and establishing in-country value programmes, to name a few. The Nafis programme was introduced in 2021 to raise the competitiveness of Emiratis and provide them with job opportunities