The number of Emiratis working in the private sector has surpassed 152,000, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced on Monday.
It marks an increase from 100,000 in May 2024, with UAE citizens now working across 29,000 companies in the Emirates.
The figures are from June 30, the deadline set for achieving Emiratisation targets for the first half of the year.
Emirati citizens are currently employed across six main economic sectors, the ministry said. These are business services, financial intermediation, trade, repair services, construction and manufacturing.
The UAE has embarked on a major push to encourage more domestic talent to join the private sector in recent years.
The Nafis programme was introduced in September 2021 with a mission of ensuring 10 per cent of all jobs in the private sector are taken up by citizens by the end of 2026.
Companies must increase their Emirati workforce by 1 per cent every six months as part of the nationwide scheme.
Employers in the UAE with at least 50 members of staff were required to meet a 4 per cent target by the end of 2023.
As a result, the Emirati employment rate will increase to 8 per cent by the end of 2025, and 10 per cent in 2026.
Last month, private sector companies were urged to develop long-term strategies to attract and retain top domestic talent and guard against seeking to merely “fulfil a quota” to hit strict Emiratisation targets.
