In order to boost the government’s campaign to integrate locals into the private sector workforce, the UAE government has expanded the salary support it offers to Emiratis hired in the private and banking sectors. The support includes allowances, bonuses, and other monetary incentives for UAE nationals and is extended to citizens earning a monthly salary of less than Dh30,000. Based on this, Dh7,000 will be offered a month to those with bachelor’s degrees, Dh6,000 to diploma holders and Dh5,000 to high school graduates. It also offers child support to employees, and temporary financial help in cases of job loss.
The Emirati Salary Support Scheme contributes to the recruitment and training costs of Emiratis in the private sector. The expanded salary support scheme will benefit more than 170,000 UAE nationals over five years.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and the Board Chairman of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (Nafis), said the decision covers all employees of the private and banking sectors. It also includes employees hired before the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (Nafis) programme went into effect in September 2021. Nafis is a federal programme to increase the competitiveness of Emirati human resources and empower them to occupy jobs in the private sector. More than 14,000 Emirati job-seekers have joined the private sector since it was launched.
The move is to implement directives issued by the President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and under the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Data shows that over 21,000 Emiratis had benefited from the programme’s financial assistance scheme.
Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Manan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said: “There is no doubt that raising the levels of Emiratisation will reflect positively on the national economy and will bring great benefits to the private sector in particular, as it will have higher levels of flexibility and greater opportunities to face global and local challenges.
“We are on the threshold of a new phase that raises the competitiveness of the business environment by increasing the contribution of Emirati cadres in writing new chapters of the UAE success story. At the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, we will directly monitor the impact of supportive programmes on accelerating the integration of Emirati cadres into the labor market in the private sector, which is an active partner in the process of progress and development.’’
