Minister of Human Resources and Emiratization Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar emphasized the exceptional results of the Nafis program in 2022, which saw an unprecedented 70% increase in the number of Emiratis employed in the private sector.
The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, led by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, implemented integrated strategies in accordance with the UAE’s wise leadership’s directives to prioritize Emiratis in all government policy decisions.
During Al Awar’s Thursday media briefing on Emiratisation, this was made public. Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, joined other officials and media representatives at the media briefing.
The Council’s Board of Directors set new goals for the Nafis program in 2023 at their most recent meeting, which was presided over by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, and attended by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Al Awar stated, “It has succeeded in bringing about a quantum leap in the business environment in the UAE to enable the creation of new jobs for Emiratis, at the same time, promoting the growth of the private sector and increasing its share in the country’s GDP through the mechanisms that the Ministry adopted to implement the strategies and policies of the Council.”
He emphasized that the Ministry continues to develop the nation’s model for economic development through partnerships between the public and private sectors and the implementation of measures aimed at increasing the role of Emirati talent in the labor market in general and the private sector in particular. This is consistent with the vision of the shrewd leadership, which prioritizes Emiratis above all other government policy decisions.
He went on to say that one of the goals of the Nafis program for 2023 is to create at least 24,000 new private sector jobs for Emiratis.
Al Awar stated during the media briefing that the Nafis program’s results, which exceeded expectations, were the result of an integrated strategy in the UAE’s business environment developed by the Council headed by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed. This strategy ensured the development of talents and the creation of high-quality, long-term jobs for Emiratis in the private sector, which in turn benefited from policies that supported the sector and helped it achieve significant economic growth.
He went over the most important aspects of the strategies that the Ministry launched and oversaw in 2022. This included putting into effect Federal Decree Law Number The Cabinet Resolution No. 33 of 2021, which dealt with the organization of labor relations, was implemented in February of that year. 18 of 2022 regarding the classification of UAE private sector businesses in May, the introduction of a new unemployment insurance program, and the second phase of the world’s first wage protection system.
Al Awar went on to say that these actions were the foundations of a comprehensive plan with the goals of “protecting and strengthening the role of all stakeholders,” “empowering both sides of the supply and demand equation,” and “preserving the foundations of the UAE’s unique development model based on partnership between the public and private sectors.”
In addition, he stated that these strategies “provided the Nafis programme with an integrated environment that enables it to achieve its goals and create a better and more sustainable future for thousands of Emirati talents and their families,” as well as “increased the private sector’s attractiveness for the Emiratis and resident talents alike,” and “encouraged the launch of new economic sectors, revitalized individual initiatives and small and medium enterprises.”
Al Awar stated that the distinguished results achieved by the Nafis program with the cooperation and response of the private sector were accompanied by the strong performance of the country’s economy in 2022. He noted that the rapid growth in the number of Emiratis joining the private sector was accompanied by a strong growth recorded by the sector.
“We look forward to a new year of achievements that embody the directives of the wise leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who affirmed that the UAE’s people are the focus of the country’s attention and at the top of its priorities since its inception, and it will remain the basis of all its plans for the future,” Al Awar concluded. “We look forward to a new year of achievements that embody the directives of the wise leadership of President His Highness She
Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Secretary General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, reviewed the Nafis program’s list of programs and initiatives, noting that the program provides job opportunities, training courses, and financial support for many stakeholders. He also stated that more than 28,700 Emirati have entered the private sector since the program’s launch.
He stated that as a result, the number of Emiratis employed in the private sector has increased by an unprecedented 70%, reaching over 50,000.
Al Mazrouei added that 32,566 Emiratis had benefited from financial assistance programs. As of January 2023, the contributions of businesses that did not make a commitment to achieving the Emiratisation targets totaled AED 400 million. The Emiratisation growth rate that was intended for 2022 was attained by a total of 8,897 businesses.
Al Mazrouei noted that one of the program’s most notable accomplishments was its success in the healthcare industry, with 1,300 male and female students participating in the health sector cadre development program and 643 trainees participating in the Kafaat program.
He went on to say, “Over the past year, the successful process of building data on the Nafis platform has continued to become an integrated window for the country’s business environment.” In addition to signing 24 agreements with strategic partners, including six agreements with participating universities in the healthcare sector support program and four agreements with strategic partners in the semi-governmental sector to provide more than 11,000 jobs through outsourcing companies and suppliers, the Nafis platform had 7,017 partners registered and 17,481 job vacancies.
Al Mazrouei concluded, “We hope that the results of Nafis will have a greater and deeper impact in 2023, even though the results of Nafis exceeded expectations in the previous year.” The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council at its meeting in 2023 approved the Emiratisation targets for the private sector, which anticipate creating at least 24,000 new employment opportunities for Emiratis across a variety of industries.
The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council’s Board of Directors met for the first time in 2023 to review the most significant policies and decisions made since the launch of the Nafis program. The most significant of these were Cabinet resolutions imposing contributions on establishments that are not committed to achieving the rate percentages and establishing target rates for emiratization.
The results of the monitoring and compliance system regarding the commitment to Emiratisation in the private sector for 2022 were also discussed by the Council, as were the mechanisms used by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to detect violations of Emiratisation policies.
The meeting also looked at the most important studies and strategic plans that the Council made in 2022, like the supply and demand plans for the labor market between 2022 and 2026 and the sectors that are most appealing to emigration efforts.
