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29 March 2024

Minimum Dh7,500 for private sector Emiratis

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By Staff

Companies registered with a local group aiming to lure Emiratis into the private sector will have to pay a minimum monthly salary of Dh7,500 for UAE workers from the beginning of 2014, the group has said.

The move is intended to attract more Emirati workers into the country’s private sector and narrow the wage gap with the public sector, which has remained far more attractive for Emiratis, the Emirates National Development Programme (ENDP) said.

“From the start of 2014, the minimum monthly salary for Emiratis working in the private sector through ENDP will be Dh7,500,” ENDP executive director Issa Al Mulla said, quoted by the Dubai-based Arabic language daily Emarat Al Youm.

“The decision is meant to attract more Emiratis into the private sector and narrow the wage gap between the private and public sectors.”

He said ENDP, which groups a large number of companies operating in the second largest Arab economy, would push all its members to enforce the new rule, adding that it would encourage citizens to stick to their jobs in that sector.

The UAE has been locked in a drive to find jobs for its citizens in the private sector in a bid to curb unemployment but Emiratis generally still favour jobs in the public sector for more benefits and shorter work hours.

While they have become a majority in the civil servants, Emiratis account for less than 15 per cent in private sector workforce.