28,700 Emiratis recruited in private sector in 2022, Dh400 million in fines imposed on violating firms under Nafis programme

Abu Dhabi: A total of 28,700 Emiratis were recruited in the private sector since the launch of the Nafis programme, bringing the number of total number of citizens to 50,000, even as the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has issued fines amounting to Dh400 million against firms that failed to meet their Emiratisation targets.

This was announced by the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council during its first meeting in 2023, which was chaired by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court and Chairman of the council, on Wednesday.

Nafis programme review

Held at Qasr Al Watan in the presence of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the meeting reviewed the 2022 outcomes of the Nafis programme, which aims to provide opportunities to encourage Emirati talents to contribute and increase their presence in the private sector.

The meeting was dedicated to reviewing last year’s results which highlighted the number of new citizens who entered the private sector in since the launch of the Nafis programme in September 2021.

Nafis beneficiaries

The ETCC announced that the number of vacancies taken up by UAE nationals in the private sector within the framework of NAFIS has exceeded expectations during the year 2022, with a remarkable 70% increase, amounting to over 50,000 UAE nationals working in the private sector.

Nafis data shows that the number of UAE nationals who joined the private sector since the launch of the programme reached more than 28,700 by the end of 2022, while the number of beneficiaries from Nafis’ financial support programmes reached 32,566. Furthermore, data showed that 1,300 male and female students have enrolled in NAFIS’ ‘National Healthcare Programme’ and 643 enrolled in the ‘Talent Programme’.

Nafis Platform

On the other hand, the number of registered partners on the NAFIS platform has reached 7,017 company, and 17,481 job vacancies have been posted through the platform. In addition, since its launch, Nafis signed 24 agreements with strategic partners, including six agreements with universities implementing the National Healthcare Programme, and four agreements with strategic partners in the semi-governmental sector in a pledge to provide more than 11,000 jobs through outsourcing companies and suppliers.

Two per cent target

The ETCC Board also reviewed the results of the set 2% Emiratisation target in the private sector by the end of 2022, and data showed that a total number of 8,897 companies have reached the 2% Emiratisation target or more, while the total contributions due in January 2023 from companies that have not achieved the required target in 2022 amounted to approximately 400 million dirhams.

In addition, the meeting examined the mechanisms used by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to detect violations of Emiratisation policies, and the results of the monitoring and compliance system regarding the commitment to the set Emiratisation target in the private sector for the year 2022. With thorough investigations, data showed that the total number of false Emiratisation cases reached 227 cases, with an administrative fine also imposed on the violating establishments, (109 establishments), who have been downgraded to Category (3) according to the applicable criteria of classification approved by the Ministry, while 20 violating establishments were referred to the Public Prosecutor to face penal measures and stop the benefits of 130 nationals. Actions are being taken to recover the amounts.

During the meeting, the Council addressed some of the strategic plans prepared by the Council during 2022, the most important of which included plans for supply and demand in the labour market 2022-2026, the most attractive and crucial sectors to focus Emiratisation efforts on, in addition to the most important initiatives and policies proposed for the year 2023 to advance the Emiratisation agenda in the private sector in a faster and more effective way.

Nafis Youth Council

The Board also approved the launch of the NAFIS Youth Council under the supervision of ETCC, which aims to create a platform to communicate with the youth category in the private sector, and for youth to be able to contribute to supporting NAFIS by participating in initiatives and discussions and sharing their success stories and achievements to benefit from their experiences and creative ideas in terms of coming up with new projects, initiatives and programmes, and identifying the challenges which face today’s youth who work in the private sector and proposing appropriate solutions.

The meeting was attended by Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Hessa bint Issa Bu Humaid, Minister of Community Development; Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulmanan Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation; Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education; Shamma bint Suhail bin Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Youth Affairs; Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Technology; Jassim Muhammad Buataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Finance in the Government of Abu Dhabi, members of the Board of Directors, and Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary General UAE National Competitiveness Council.