UAE nationals working in the private sector are set to see some of the most significant changes to the country’s flagship Nafis employment programme since its launch, as a revised framework begins rolling out this month with an explicit focus on family stability alongside workforce competitiveness.
The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, which oversees Nafis, confirmed that the new programmes and updates take effect in September 2026 for new beneficiaries, while existing recipients of the private-sector Emirati Salary Support Scheme will transition gradually over a period of up to three years.
No more limit on child allowance
Perhaps the most striking element of the reform is the removal of the previous cap on the Child Allowance Scheme for Emiratis working in the private sector. Where the benefit was previously limited to a set number of children, eligible families will now receive support for every child regardless of family size, with the Council framing the change as a deliberate effort to strengthen family stability and quality of life.
Under the programme, eligible families receive Dh600 a month for each qualifying child, meaning larger families stand to see a meaningful increase in total monthly support compared with the previous structure. Officials have pushed back on the suggestion that the programme’s repeated revisions point to insufficient original planning, instead describing the changes as a natural evolution as Nafis has expanded in scope and reach.
A standardised salary threshold
The reform also introduces a standardised minimum monthly salary of Dh6,000 for eligibility across Nafis’ support programmes. For employees outside the direct oversight of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Central Bank of the UAE, including many free-zone employees, whose pay currently falls below that threshold, a phased transition arrangement will apply: those whose salary is corrected to Dh6,000 will receive full current support value for six months from September, tapering to 70 per cent for a further six months, and 30 per cent for three months after that.
For workers whose registered salaries already exceed the new benchmark figures, support levels will similarly be adjusted gradually. Beneficiaries earning between Dh20,000 and Dh30,000 a month will see support automatically reduced by Dh500 every six months until it reaches zero, while those earning up to Dh20,000 will see a comparable gradual reduction toward the newly set support levels.
New schemes for spouses and children of working Emiratis
Beyond the changes to existing programmes, the reform introduces two entirely new support mechanisms: a salary-support scheme for children of Emirati mothers working in the private sector, and a separate scheme for wives of Emirati men employed in the private sector. Both offer support of up to Dh3,000 a month for eligible beneficiaries, subject to salary bands and educational qualification requirements, including holding at least a bachelor’s degree accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Shifting pension responsibilities
The reform also touches the Eshtirak pension contribution programme. Nafis will continue to cover the government-assigned contribution for eligible Emirati employees, but from September, private-sector employers will become responsible for paying their own legally required share of contributions, a shift that places somewhat greater financial responsibility on employers participating in the scheme.
A programme with a substantial track record
The scale of the reforms reflects the programme’s growing footprint since its 2021 launch as part of the UAE’s Projects of the 50 initiative. Nafis has reported that more than 176,000 Emiratis have been placed in private-sector employment since its inception, with roughly 152,000 beneficiaries working across some 32,000 establishments by the end of March this year.
What comes next for beneficiaries
With the changes now taking effect, both current and prospective Nafis beneficiaries are being encouraged to review how the new salary thresholds, child allowance changes and pension adjustments will affect their individual circumstances. For many Emirati families, particularly larger households, the removal of the child allowance cap is likely to represent the most immediately tangible benefit of a reform package designed, officials say, to reinforce family wellbeing alongside the programme’s original goal of boosting Emirati participation in the private sector. Next Article
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