Year‑end in Dubai compresses hiring, payroll and policy decisions, and MoHRE has explicitly urged private‑sector companies to meet 2025 Emiratisation targets by 31 December, with financial contributions applied from 1 January 2026 for any shortfalls.
Companies expanding into the UAE often seek experienced labour lawyers in Dubai to ensure compliance with local employment regulations. To finish strong and enter 2026 ready, lock down your summer safety evidence to MoHRE’s Midday Break standards, close Emiratisation targets with retention in mind via Nafis, and choose your end‑of‑service path using the official savings‑scheme guidance or traditional gratuity rules.
Heat rules with cool compliance
Let’s begin with the one policy every outdoor operation touches, the Midday Break.
In 2025, MoHRE required a daily stoppage for outdoor work under direct sun from 12.30 pm to 3.00 pm between 15 June and 15 September, continuing a national safety practice that’s now part of operational muscle memory.
MoHRE then reported a 99% compliance rate as the 2025 Occupational Heat Stress Prevention Policy concluded on 14 September, which signals both clear expectations and active inspections. Translate that into a year‑end checklist.
File your summer shift rotas, hydration logs and photos of shaded rest areas alongside any documented exemptions so that compliance is demonstrable, not just described.
If you subcontract, mirror these rules in your agreements and keep site‑level evidence, because inspectors assess outcomes across the chain. There’s a trust dividend here, it seems. When your records match MoHRE’s timeframes and standards, audits tend to move faster, and your teams feel looked after during the hottest months.
It’s simple, it’s humane and it’s exactly what regulators expect you to prove on paper.
Targets that pay off
Now to Emiratisation, which is both compliance and strategy.
For companies with 50+ employees, the baseline rule is a 2% annual increase in skilled Emirati hires, and MoHRE’s 26 October 2025 advisory makes the deadline crystal clear. Meet 2025 targets by 31 December or face contributions from 1 January 2026.
MoHRE also flagged obligations for select establishments with 20–49 employees in designated sectors to employ at least one Emirati by 1 January 2026, so Q4 timing matters for offers and onboarding. Treat Emiratisation as a retention project, not just a hiring task. Use Nafis and MoHRE systems for role design, candidate sourcing and verification so progress is recorded in the same channels used for enforcement.
Then bake mentorship and progression into the first 90 days so your year‑end hires stay and your 2026 numbers hold.
- Prioritise roles that meet the “skilled” definition and align them to Emiratisation before mid‑December to leave room for onboarding checks.
- Run offers through Nafis to validate eligibility and keep documentation consistent with MoHRE’s expectations.
- Verify establishment classification information and any sector-specific commitments related to two different thresholds of 20–49 employees, then finalize start dates no later than late December.
- You should aslo aim to capture social security registration and induction milestones, so retention appears in the same system that tracks compliance; this can be extremely helpful.
When hiring flows through official platforms and timelines, you reduce the risk of contributions, protect your ability to secure new work permits and elevate your employer brand with UAE nationals.
It’s also the easiest way to answer year‑end questions with a single dashboard view.
Gratuity or savings
End‑of‑service benefits are evolving, and 2025 gave employers a meaningful choice.
The voluntary Alternative End‑of‑Service Benefits Savings Scheme is now live with approved funds, offering a regulated route to monthly contributions instead of traditional lump‑sum gratuity. For many teams, this can reduce payout shocks and protect employees through independent fund management. Keep your footing with definitions first.
The u.ae portal sets out traditional end‑of‑service benefits for private‑sector workers, while MoHRE’s guidance page and an EY technical alert detail the legal basis for the alternative scheme in Cabinet Resolution No. 96 of 2023 and outline how employers can participate. In February 2025, WAM reported that end‑of‑service funds secured final approval and that MoHRE launched an awareness campaign, confirming nationwide readiness.
How to decide before year‑end.
Ask finance to model cash flow under both approaches for 2026–2027, then have legal draft clean transition clauses and an employee communication plan that spells out contributions, governance and withdrawals.
If you opt in, complete onboarding with an approved provider and align payroll so contributions are timely and auditable from January payroll cycle one. One question lingers, and it’s worth your time.
If markets move next year, would a regulated investment‑based arrangement better align with your workforce promises and risk tolerance than relying on internal accruals alone?
Answering that now keeps your benefits strategy proactive rather than reactive.
Finish strong
Three moves set you up for a clean audit trail and a calmer Q1.
Document your 2025 heat‑safety compliance to the letter of MoHRE’s timelines, hit Emiratisation targets with retention‑minded onboarding and select your end‑of‑service path with the paperwork to match. With Nafis for verification, MoHRE templates for safety and approved funds available, your systems can carry the load while your people focus on performance. That’s the point of a good checklist.
It turns regulatory pressure into operational clarity and employee trust, which is exactly how great teams win in Dubai. Which single change, safety records, Emiratisation roles or end‑of‑service setup, would most reduce next year’s compliance exposure for you?
