How to Calculate Your Emiratisation Target, With Worked Examples

The calculation is simple once you count the right people. Most errors come from using the wrong denominator or the wrong salary test.

The formula

Emiratisation rate = qualifying Emirati employees in skilled roles
                     ÷ total skilled roles

The two salary tests

Both are current and neither replaced the other. Reading the AED 4,000 figure as the counting test is the most common error in this topic.

The four steps

1. Check scope. Count total registered employees on your MoHRE establishment. 50 or more puts you on the percentage target. See who has to comply.
2. Count skilled roles. Professional levels 1 to 5, an attested certificate higher than secondary, and at least AED 4,000 a month excluding commission. See skilled roles.
3. Count qualifying Emiratis. UAE nationals in those skilled roles paid at least AED 6,000 through WPS.
4. Apply the required rate. Add one point for 30 June and two for 31 December to your rate at 31 December 2025, then multiply by your skilled roles.

Worked example: a company on track

220 employees, 150 skilled roles, 12 qualifying Emiratis. The company met every target and was at 8% at the end of 2025.

Rounding is not published by MoHRE, so plan on whole people: two hires by June and three in total by December. Three unfilled positions after 31 December would cost 3 × AED 10,000 = AED 30,000 a month.

Worked example: Emiratis below AED 6,000

74 employees, 46 skilled roles, 5 Emiratis in skilled roles, two of them on AED 4,800.

• The two on AED 4,800 stay in the denominator: they clear the AED 4,000 skilled test.
• From 1 July 2026 they do not count toward the target: they are below AED 6,000.
• Qualifying Emiratis: 3. Rate: 3 ÷ 46 = 6.5%.

The cheaper fix. Raising those two salaries to AED 6,000 costs AED 2,400 a month combined and takes qualifying Emiratis from 3 to 5. Leaving one position short costs AED 10,000 a month.

Why every skilled hire matters

Every skilled role sits in the denominator, whatever the nationality. Hiring a skilled expatriate raises the number of Emiratis you need. With 46 skilled roles, one percentage point is under half a person; with 300 skilled roles, it is three people each half-year. The larger your skilled base, the more hires each assessment needs.

What people get wrong

Using total headcount as the denominator. Fifty is the scope threshold. The target uses skilled roles.

Using AED 4,000 as the counting test. It is the classification threshold, not the counting threshold.

Calculating once a year. Your denominator moves with every skilled hire or departure. Run it quarterly.