With only 10 days to go, the UAE has urged private sector companies to meet Emiratisation targets. Companies with over 50 employees must ensure 2 percent of their workforce are Emiratis, or else they would face a fine of $20,000 a year for every Emirati not hired.
Emiratisation, under the government’s Nafis initiative, also required companies to follow certain rules set by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE). This include a ban on misleading advertisements, and hiring Emiratis only for skilled jobs.
While the announcement got many companies in the region running to meet their deadlines, Dubai-based Indian IT company Tech Mahindra sought the new law as an “opportunity”.
Speaking to Arabian Business, Tech Mahindra’s global chief people officer and head of marketing Harshvendra Soin said, “localisation is important everywhere, however, we do not want to stop at just 2 percent. In fact, we have set the target as a company to 10 percent over the next three years, to ensure a rich mix of talent.”
Soin added that even if it was not a mandate from the UAE government, it is a “great” move to make for companies, especially when on the run to be an employer of choice in the industry as well as the country.
Tech Mahindra’s Soin also said that the best way to ensure companies in the UAE meet their Emiratisation targets is by ensuring that they meet the company’s requirements and then also upskilling their employees.
“We have seen success all across the world, when employees use their skills and grow within the company because again, hiring is not enough,” Soin said, adding that providing employees with an environment where they can flourish is important.
“Training them where they can grow is important. Because you know you may hire fit 1000 people tomorrow if they don’t grow then what’s the point? So because by hiring these individuals, you’re also taking the responsibility in building career,” he stressed.
Tech Mahindra, which has partnered with the Higher College of Technology, aims to recruit employees through various initiatives and hackathons to attract talent.
Achieving Emiratisation targets
On Monday, MoHRE held a meeting with a number of recruitment agencies in the UAE to discuss the latest developments and ways to benefit from the Nafis platform, helping companies with 50 employees or more achieve the Emiratisation targets of 2 percent for skilled jobs before the end of 2022.
The meeting was held in line with the efforts aiming to implement the UAE Cabinet’s relevant resolution and avoid the penalties that will be imposed on companies that are not committed to achieving the required targets, starting January 2023, state agency WAM reported.
“Emirati skilled employees, who constitute most Emirati employees registered within the Ministry’s system, are proving their positive effects on the economy,” MoHRE’s minister Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar said.
Al Awar explained that they are on the “verge of fundamental changes” in the nation’s labour market to increase the participation of citizens and improving the competitiveness of the local business.
During the meeting, MoHRE reaffirmed its “commitment to supporting the private sector, being a key partner in Emiratisation development, achieving the country’s goals to improve the business environment and creating an investment climate that encourages companies, investors, entrepreneurs and talents from all over the world to work in the UAE, especially in strategic priority sectors,” WAM said.
MoHRE also discussed the various benefits and support packages for companies complying with the Emiratisation initiatives.
“These establishments are granted membership of the Emiratisation Partners Club, qualifying them to obtain discounts of up to 80 percent of the Ministry’s service fees,” WAM said.
MoHRE also honoured 16 companies that tripled their Emiratisation ratios since it was introduced in June.
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