Is it the Right Time to Change Your Job?

Demographic diversity in UAE has been the talk of the town since last week as some companies in the UAE faced difficulties while obtaining work visas for employees from South Asian countries.
As Indians and Pakistanis constitute almost half of the expat community in the UAE, people are anxious whether they will find a new job. The half-baked truth has caused a ruckus on social media as people started posting their queries.
The Law Reporters contacted Mary Rintu Raju, Employment and Immigration Lawyer at NYK Law Firm, to have a better overview about the issue.

“In 2022, the the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) had announced a three-tier classification system. Achieving diversity while hiring was one of the criteria for companies to get a higher classification which offers them discounts on work permits and transfer fees,” she said when asked about MoHRE’s Workplace Planning Policy.
When companies with a predominant workforce from a particular nationality attempt to secure new visas for individuals from the same background, they reportedly receive a message urging them to "achieve demographic diversity while hiring." Despite reports, visa experts and agents have unequivocally rejected the notion that the UAE has halted visa issuances for specific nationalities.

MoHRE states that the first 20 per cent of available quotas in the establishments should be allocated to different nationalities, emphasising the broader goal of enhancing demographic diversity.

 An employee working in an MNC in Dubai says that she wants to change her job but she is doubtful now. As most of the companies she has applied to have increased number of Indian employees.

“If companies utilise 20 per cent of the new quota for non-Indians, remaining 80 per cent can be used for Indian visas and companies can use the 4:1 policy to achieve the diversity,” Mary Rintu added.

Companies receiving messages to achieve diversity are advised to explore hiring individuals from other nationalities. According to a representative from MoHRE has affirmed that the first 20 per cent diversity requirement is universal and not targeted at any particular nationality. Once this diversity threshold is met, companies are free to hire individuals from any nationality.

The MoHRE emphasises that the policy of diversity aims to integrate the social and cultural diversity of the UAE into the core values of private-sector companies. This is achieved by diversifying the cultural backgrounds of employees, offering equal employment opportunities and empowering UAE citizens as per the applicable percentages of Emiratisation. 

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