Emiratisation (Nafis) Quotas: What UAE Employers Actually Need to Do

The short answer

Who it applies to

The quota originally targeted private-sector companies with 50 or more employees, requiring them to grow their Emirati headcount in skilled roles by a set percentage each year, working toward an overall target. It has since been extended to smaller companies — in a defined list of priority sectors, firms with as few as 20 employees have been brought into scope, with a lighter obligation (such as employing at least one or two Emiratis) rather than the full percentage target. Because this scope has moved every year since it started, confirm current applicability for your exact headcount and sector directly with MOHRE or the Nafis platform rather than assuming last year's answer still holds.

How the target is calculated

• The quota counts skilled roles — positions above a minimum salary and qualification threshold — not your full headcount.
• Covered companies are expected to increase their Emirati headcount in those roles by a set percentage each year, building toward a cumulative target over several years from a set baseline year.
• Smaller companies brought into scope more recently typically face a flat minimum headcount (one or two Emirati hires) rather than a percentage.

Because the baseline, percentage, and sector list are set centrally and have changed more than once, don't calculate your obligation from memory or an old article — pull your company's actual target from the Nafis platform or MOHRE.

What non-compliance costs

Companies that miss their target pay a recurring monthly financial contribution for each Emirati position they haven't filled, calculated per missing position rather than as a single flat fine. This monthly rate has risen each year since the scheme began and is set centrally, so budget for it going up rather than staying flat — confirm the current rate directly with MOHRE or Nafis rather than relying on last year's figure, since quoted amounts for this change year to year and source to source.

What counts in your favour

Beyond headcount, the scheme recognises things like structured training and development programmes for Emirati staff, and participation in Nafis's own support programmes (which can subsidise salaries and benefits for Emirati hires, making them cheaper to bring on than the sticker salary suggests). It's worth treating Emiratisation as a hiring and retention strategy, not only a compliance line item — the subsidies and incentives on offer can make it the cheaper option in practice.

What HR should actually do

1. Confirm your company's exact headcount band, sector, and target on the Nafis platform — don't assume you're exempt because you were last year.
2. Track your current Emirati headcount in skilled roles against the target the same way you'd track any other compliance metric, not as a year-end surprise.
3. Build Emiratisation into your hiring plan for the year rather than scrambling in the final quarter — skilled Emirati candidates are also in demand elsewhere.
4. Check whether Nafis incentives apply to roles you're already planning to fill.
5. Re-check your obligation whenever your headcount crosses a threshold, since growing past 20 or 50 employees can change what applies to you overnight.

This is a general explanation of UAE Emiratisation and Nafis requirements for HR teams and business owners doing their own planning — not legal advice. Headcount thresholds, sector coverage, targets, incentives, and fines are set by UAE authorities, have changed in most years since the scheme began, and can change again; confirm your company's current obligation directly with MOHRE or the Nafis platform before budgeting or hiring against it.