United Arab Emirates: Private Health Care Sector Emiratization Rules Changed

Private healthcare facilities with 50 or more employees must now allocate their mandatory annual 2% Emiratization target equally between specialized healthcare roles and other skilled positions within the facility. Previously, employers could meet the target across skilled positions without being required to allocate it equally between these two categories. The implementation timeline remains unchanged – employers must continue to achieve 1% Emiratization growth during the first half of the year and the remaining 1% during the second half. Healthcare facilities that have already met the first-half requirement should ensure recruitment during the second half of 2026 complies with the revised allocation. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization will begin assessing compliance with the revised requirement in 2027, with noncompliant employers potentially subject to financial contributions.  

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