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19 March 2024

Dubai's expat pension plan now at UAE-level

The court will give its sentence on May 28. (File)

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

A pension plan for expatriates is being discussed at the federal level, claims a senior government official.

“As far as we know, the issue is now being handled at the federal level,” the official told Emirates 24|7 on condition of anonymity.

He declined to give any further details.

In September 2012, Ali Ibrahim, Deputy Director-General for Planning Affairs and Development, Department of Economic Development, Dubai, told Emarat Al Youm that The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) had recommended establishment of a pension fund for expatriate employees in Dubai.

The pension fund for expatriate employees is one of the important projects included in the strategic plan of the department because it would increase productivity and contribute to employees’ stability, he had said.

A World Bank official was quoted, saying, “There's a lot of experience globally on pension schemes, including some that pertain to portable pension schemes, which could be applied to expatriate labour.”

Under UAE Labour Law, companies have to provide end-of-service gratuity to employees who have completed one or more years of service.

The end-of-service gratuity scheme was introduced 40 years ago to ensure that when employment relationships were terminated, employees without pension benefits received a lump sum payment to assist them during the period following termination or for them to put towards their savings, Al Tamimi & Co law firm wrote in a report titled, ‘The End of Service Gratuity: Is it the beginning of the end?’

Employees with at least 12 months service are entitled to 21 calendar days’ salary for each year of service in the first five years of employment and 30 calendar days’ salary for each year of service worked beyond five years, the law firm said.

UAE nationals working in the public and private sectors already have a pension plan in place.