The UAE government’s stated targets are 75,000 UAE nationals employed in the private sector by 2026 and 170,000 by 2031. These are programme targets under Nafis rather than measurements of current employment.
Source: u.ae · Checked August 2026
Part of the full Emiratisation compliance guide.
The targets
| Milestone | Target |
|---|---|
| By 2026 | 75,000 UAE nationals in private-sector employment |
| By 2031 | 170,000 |
Nafis has been extended to 2040, so the 2031 figure sits inside a longer programme rather than marking its end point.
Compliance at the June 2026 assessment
MOHRE reported that 95% of companies within scope met their targets for the first half of 2026, against a requirement that Emiratis make up at least 9% of skilled roles by 30 June.
The employer-level target
Separately from the national figures, mainland companies with 50 or more employees must reach 10% of skilled roles by the end of 2026, growing two percentage points a year. See Emiratisation targets for 2026.
The two are often confused. One is a national headcount ambition; the other is a per-company percentage. Neither tells you anything about the other. See Emiratisation percentage explained.
Current employment figures
Figures circulating for current Emirati private-sector employment, the number of employing establishments, and active Nafis beneficiaries vary widely between sources and are generally published without an as-of date. We have not confirmed them against a dated official source (unconfirmed at the time of writing).
This is deliberate. A statistic without an as-of date is not usable, and in a policy area moving this fast an undated figure is often a year old.
Why we date every figure
Emiratisation numbers move, and most published material carries no date. If you are citing a statistic in a board paper or an article, the date matters as much as the number. See how we check.
Read next: Emiratisation percentage explained, because national statistics and compliance targets are constantly confused.
Last checked August 2026 · Sources: official platforms
