Fake Emiratisation: Negative, but limited practice

Author : HE Mohsin Ali Al Nassi, Assistant Undersecretary for Inspection and Compliance

Fake Emiratisation is defined as the employment of a UAE citizen solely for appearances’ sake, issuing a work permit and registering them with the company for purposes other than those the permit is intended for, in addition to signing an employment contract that meets formal requirements, but lacks the essential elements for a genuine contractual relationship.

The objective from this practice is to circumvent laws and ministerial decisions that regulate the employment of Emirati citizens in the private sector, illegitimately benefit from government support and incentive programmes dedicated to employment or training, or to achieve – on paper – the Emiratisation target required of the company, as per the regulatory decisions issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE).

Going on this definition, Fake Emiratisation has consequences that reflect on the objectives of the Emiratisation programme, which aims beyond merely employing citizens, striving to develop a productive and sustainable Emirati human capital in the private sector, while enabling Emirati professionals to actively participate in the UAE’s development journey and support its economy. And this can only be achieved through genuine employment of Emirati citizens in positions where they can perform real job functions.

With that in mind, Emiratisation decisions issued by the UAE Cabinet explicitly consider Fake Emiratisation to be a violation that warrants imposing penalties to deter those who commit it, be they companies involved in this practice or individuals who accept employment offers of this kind with the companies in question.

Fake Emiratisation cases are quite limited and do not make up a notable phenomenon in the UAE labour market, nevertheless, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation remains committed to tackling this harmful practice. To that end, we rely on a smart field monitoring and control system, in addition to exacting legal penalties against perpetrators, in collaboration with the Nafis programme, as part of our efforts to integrate roles and responsibilities.

Furthermore, we rely on the awareness of Emirati professionals and reaffirm our confidence that they will reject job offers under Fake Emiratisation attempts, promptly reporting them to the Ministry’s call centre at 600590000, or via the MoHRE smart application and website. We also trust our partners in the private sector and their dedication to playing an active role in Emiratisation plans, which is a national priority that enjoys great support from our wise leadership.