A significantly revised framework for the UAE’s Nafis programme has begun rolling out this September, bringing sweeping changes to how the government supports Emirati nationals working in the private sector, including a standardised minimum salary threshold, an uncapped child allowance, and updated employer pension contribution responsibilities.
The changes, confirmed by the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (ETCC), apply immediately to new beneficiaries of the programme, while existing recipients of the private-sector Emirati Salary Support Scheme will transition to the revised framework gradually over a period of up to three years, softening the impact of the changes for those already receiving support.
What’s changing under the new framework
Under the revised rules, the minimum salary required for eligibility across Nafis support schemes has been standardised at Dh6,000 per month, aligning the programme with the UAE’s broader minimum wage requirements for Emiratis introduced earlier in the year. For new beneficiaries, maximum monthly salary support will now be tiered according to educational qualification: Dh6,000 for bachelor’s degree holders, Dh5,000 for diploma holders, and Dh4,000 for secondary school graduates, with those below secondary school level eligible for up to Dh4,000 if married or with dependants, and Dh3,000 if unmarried or without dependants.
The framework also introduces a maximum salary threshold of Dh20,000 per month for continued eligibility, with support for employees earning above that level being gradually phased down by Dh500 every six months until it reaches zero — a mechanism designed to ensure the programme’s resources remain targeted toward those who benefit most from the additional support.
A significant boost for working parents
Among the most closely watched changes is the removal of the previous cap on the child allowance available to eligible Emirati employees, a shift that stands to meaningfully benefit working parents with larger families. Alongside this, the Council has announced two entirely new support schemes: a Salary Scheme for Children of Emirati Mothers Working in the Private Sector, and a Salary Support Scheme for Wives of Emirati Citizens Working in the Private Sector, both offering support of up to Dh3,000 per month, with further implementation details expected to be announced in the coming months.
These additions reflect a broader policy recognition of the specific challenges facing Emirati women in balancing family responsibilities with private sector careers, an area that has received increasing policy attention as the UAE continues to pursue its long-term Emiratisation targets.
Extending support to free zone employees
In a notable expansion of the programme’s reach, support will now also extend to Emirati nationals working for free zone employers — a segment of the workforce that has historically fallen outside the scope of some federal labour and support frameworks given free zones’ distinct regulatory status. UAE national employees working for free zone companies and earning below the Dh6,000 threshold will now be eligible for salary support for a maximum period of 15 months, helping bring free zone employment more fully into alignment with the broader national Emiratisation push.
For employees outside the direct remit of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Central Bank of the UAE, a phased transition arrangement applies: those whose salaries are corrected to meet the new Dh6,000 threshold will receive full current support value for six months from September, stepping down to 70 per cent for a further six months, and finally 30 per cent for three months before aligning fully with the new framework.
Why the timing matters
The revised Nafis framework arrives at a moment when the UAE continues to push aggressively toward its long-term private sector Emiratisation targets, part of a broader economic diversification strategy first launched under the “Projects of the 50” initiative in 2021. By tying support levels more closely to the UAE’s updated minimum wage requirements and broadening eligibility to previously underserved groups such as free zone employees and the families of Emirati nationals, policymakers appear to be aiming for a more comprehensive and equitable distribution of support across the private sector Emirati workforce.
What comes next
As the new rules take effect for new beneficiaries this month, attention will turn to how smoothly existing recipients transition through the multi-year phase-in period, and whether the expanded eligibility criteria succeed in drawing more Emirati nationals — and particularly more Emirati women and free zone employees — into private sector careers. For a programme that has become a central pillar of the UAE’s economic diversification strategy, the coming months will offer an early indication of whether these adjustments deliver the intended boost to private sector Emiratisation.
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