Table of Contents
Topic Summary
1. Strategic Federal Oversight and Emiratisation Goals
The Nafis programme, overseen by MOHRE, targets 75,000 Emiratis in private-sector skilled and professional roles and aligns workforce planning with the UAE’s long-term Emiratisation strategy.
2. Eligibility Requirements for Employers and Employees
Employers must be private-sector companies with active trade licenses, compliant labour status, and genuine skilled roles, while employees must be UAE nationals registered on the Nafis platform and not receiving overlapping government support.
3. Comprehensive Financial Support Structure
Financial support under Nafis includes salary subsidies, pension contributions, individual benefits, and training, often lasting up to five years, with eligibility depending on accurate payroll, active employment, and proper documentation.
4. Mandatory Compliance and Penalties
Compliance is mandatory for many companies, especially those with 50 or more employees, requiring structured hiring for skilled roles, payroll discipline, and auditable employment records, with penalties for unmet Emirati targets.
5. Workforce Planning and Long-Term Strategy
Effective use of Nafis requires early workforce planning, retention strategies, and monitoring, as support functions as a time-bound cost adjustment rather than a permanent subsidy, influencing hiring and growth decisions.
In most markets, hiring decisions are driven by salary and availability. In the UAE, there is a third variable: Emiratisation. The UAE government’s Nafis programme is targeting 75,000 Emiratis in private-sector roles by 2025, signalling a structural shift in how the private workforce is expected to evolve.
In Dubai hiring conversations, the Nafis programme is often treated as a hiring incentive or a government subsidy. In practice, it sits within a broader compliance framework that affects payroll planning, headcount strategy, and reporting exposure. Emiratisation targets are monitored through MOHRE systems, turning workforce composition into a measurable regulatory metric rather than an internal HR objective.
Nafis sits at the centre of that framework. It changes the economics of employing Emirati talent through wage support, pension contribution support, and structured recruitment and training pathways. The misconception is that it only matters to large corporations. Any business approaching scale in the UAE needs to understand how the programme influences hiring cost, role design, and long-term compliance risk.
Understanding the Nafis Programme
The Nafis programme is the UAE’s national initiative to increase Emirati participation in the private sector and reduce long-term reliance on government employment.
Launched in 2021 under the country’s Projects of the 50, Nafis is designed to place 75,000 Emiratis in private-sector roles by 2025. The programme is administered through the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) and operates within the UAE’s federal labour and employment framework. The programme aims for Emiratis to hold 10% of the UAE’s private sector jobs by 2025.
At its core, Nafis connects government support with private-sector hiring through a central digital platform. It focuses on integrating Emirati talent into professional, technical, and skilled roles rather than temporary or entry-level placements.
Key features of the Nafis programme include:
- Federal oversight through MOHRE and related employment systems
- A national employment target of 75,000 Emiratis in private-sector jobs
- A focus on skilled and professional roles aligned with labour market needs
- A digital platform for job matching, benefits administration, and employer coordination
- Government financial support linked directly to private-sector employment outcomes
For employers, the programme is not simply a recruitment channel. It is part of a broader structural framework that aligns workforce planning with the UAE’s long-term Emiratisation strategy.
Nafis Programme Eligibility: Who Qualifies?
To access support from the Nafis programme, the employer must:
- Be a private-sector company registered with MOHRE
- Hold an active trade license and compliant labour status under MOHRE
- Maintain a genuine employment relationship (no nominal or inactive roles)
- Process salaries through the Wage Protection System (WPS)
- Ensure the position is classified as a skilled role where Emiratisation support applies
Employers are also expected to maintain accurate contracts, job descriptions, and payroll records, as eligibility is verified against MOHRE data.
The employee must:
- Be a UAE national
- Be employed in the private sector
- Have a salary that falls within Nafis support bands
- Be registered on the Nafis platform
- Not be receiving overlapping government employment support under another programme
Cost Impact and Workforce Planning With the Nafis Programme
Nafis changes the cost structure of hiring, but it does not reduce employment to a simple subsidy calculation. The support comes in layers and should be viewed as a time-bound cost adjustment rather than a permanent saving.
In practice, the programme may include:
- Monthly salary support based on defined salary bands and duration
- Pension contribution support through the federal system (GPSSA)
- Individual social benefits paid directly to the employee
- Government-funded training and upskilling to support long-term retention
For many skilled roles, salary support can run for up to five years, with higher support levels in the early years.
From a founder’s perspective, the decision comes down to three scenarios:
- Total employment cost after Nafis support
- Full employment cost without support
- Monthly contribution exposure if Emiratisation targets are not met
Support is conditional. It depends on accurate WPS processing, active employment, and continued eligibility. Employers still carry full responsibility for contracts, payroll discipline, and documentation.
The financial impact becomes more significant as headcount grows. Workforce planning should therefore account for:
- When the threshold may be reached
- Which roles qualify as skilled
- How Emirati hires will be retained beyond the subsidy period
When Emirati hiring is planned early, Nafis works as a predictable cost offset. When growth is unplanned, it tends to show up later as a compliance expense rather than a hiring strategy.
Employer Obligations and Compliance Under the Nafis Programme
For many companies, Nafis operates alongside mandatory Emiratisation requirements rather than as a voluntary incentive.
Private-sector companies with 50 or more employees must meet Emiratisation targets for skilled roles, with required annual increases. Compliance is monitored through MOHRE systems using linked employment, work permit, and payroll data.
The operational impact shows up in three areas:
- Hiring strategy: which roles are structured as skilled positions
- Payroll planning: cost timing and workforce composition
- Growth decisions: crossing the 50-employee threshold changes regulatory exposure
Companies that miss their targets must pay a monthly contribution of AED 6,000 per unmet Emirati role, with the amount scheduled to increase over time.
Employers also remain responsible for:
- Issuing compliant employment contracts
- Processing salaries on time through WPS
- Maintaining accurate and auditable employment records
- Reporting changes such as termination, role adjustments, or salary revisions
Support from the Nafis programme is tied to active, verifiable employment. Delayed payroll, inactive roles, or inconsistent records can affect eligibility or continuation.
In Conclusion
The Nafis programme is often presented as a hiring incentive. In practice, it is a workforce policy that connects government support, Emiratisation targets, and regulatory monitoring.
For employers, the key question is not whether to participate, but how to plan. As businesses scale, workforce composition becomes a measurable compliance factor with direct cost implications. Salary support can reduce employment cost, but it is time-bound and dependent on disciplined payroll and accurate reporting.
In the UAE’s current labour environment, Emiratisation is no longer a policy backdrop. It is an operating variable that should be built into hiring, budgeting, and growth decisions from the outset.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the Nafis programme in the UAE?
Nafis is a federal initiative that supports the employment of UAE nationals in the private sector. It offers salary support, training pathways, and career development programmes to encourage long-term Emirati participation in private companies.
2. Is the Nafis programme mandatory for employers?
Joining Nafis itself is not mandatory. However, private-sector companies registered with MOHRE and employing 50 or more people must meet Emiratisation targets, which makes Emirati hiring a compliance requirement as the business scales.
3. Which companies must meet Emiratisation targets?
Emiratisation requirements apply to private-sector companies registered with MOHRE that have 50 or more employees. The targets focus specifically on increasing the number of UAE nationals in skilled roles within the organisation.
4. What happens if a company does not meet Emiratisation requirements?
If a company does not achieve its required Emiratisation level, it must pay a monthly contribution of AED 6,000 for each Emirati position that has not been filled. This amount continues until the company meets its target.
5. How long does salary support from the Nafis programme last?
Salary support can be provided for up to five years, depending on the employee’s salary level and the Nafis programme category. The level of support is typically higher in the initial years and reduces over time.
6. Can Nafis be used for any job role?
Nafis support is generally linked to skilled private-sector roles that meet MOHRE classification criteria. Employers should ensure the position is correctly structured and documented to qualify.
7. Who qualifies for Nafis benefits?
To qualify, the employee must be a UAE national working in the private sector and registered on the Nafis platform. The role, salary level, and employment arrangement must also meet programme requirements, and the employer must be compliant with MOHRE.
8. Is Nafis support paid to the employer or the employee?
In most cases, the financial support is paid directly to the Emirati employee through the Nafis system. This reduces the employer’s effective cost of employment while keeping the support linked to active, verified payroll.
