Emiratisation vs Saudization vs the rest: how Gulf local hiring quotas work (2026)
Gulf local hiring rules differ by country. The UAE requires companies with 50 or more workers to add Emiratis to skilled jobs at 2% a year and charges AED 10,000 a month for each position missed from 1 July 2026, while Saudi Arabia's Nitaqat sets a minimum Saudi share by activity and size and blocks visas for companies in the Red and Low Green bands. Oman and Bahrain set percentages by ministerial decision or activity, Bahrain lets employers pay a parallel fee for permits beyond the ratio, Qatar's 2024 law sets no fixed percentage, and Kuwait's sector percentages are not confirmed here.
Local hiring quotas across the Gulf
- Saudi contracts documented on Qiwa
- Emiratisation checked per half-year deadline
- LMRA permits and Bahrainisation fees
Saudi Arabia raises project management roles to 70% Saudization from February 2027
What happened
On 16 August 2026 Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing, announced a 70% Saudization rate for Project Management Manager, Engineer and Specialist roles. It applies to companies with three or more people in those roles and takes effect on 14 February 2027.
What it means for you
Profession quotas keep being added on top of Nitaqat in Saudi Arabia, while the UAE has moved to a higher monthly charge for missed Emiratisation targets. A Gulf hiring plan now has to be checked role by role, not only by headcount.
Dates to know
- 1 July 2026UAE charge of AED 10,000 a month for each unfilled Emiratisation position began
- 14 February 2027Saudi 70% quota for project management roles takes effect
Source: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. We check this page every week. Last checked .
Nationalisation quotas are rules that require private employers to hire a share of the country's own citizens. Each Gulf state names its policy after its nationals: Emiratisation in the UAE, Saudization in Saudi Arabia, Omanisation, Bahrainisation, Qatarization and Kuwaitization. They differ in what they measure (skilled jobs, total headcount or named professions), how the target is set (a fixed yearly rise, a formula, a ministerial decision or a plan) and what happens if an employer falls short (a monthly charge, lost visas and work permits, extra permit fees or administrative penalties). Because the quotas are measured against the employer's own workforce, they matter even for a small team.
How does Emiratisation work in the UAE?
Private companies with 50 or more workers must raise the share of UAE nationals in their skilled jobs by 2% a year, 1% in each half year. From 1 July 2026 a company that misses its target pays AED 10,000 a month, AED 120,000 a year, for each position not filled by an Emirati.
The Cabinet decision behind the target aims at a cumulative increase of 10 percentage points by 2026, at 2% a year. Companies with 20 to 49 workers in 14 named sectors had to employ one Emirati by the end of 2024 and a second by the end of 2025, with contributions of AED 96,000 in January 2025 and AED 108,000 in January 2026 for those that did not. Paying the contribution does not remove the target. Fake Emiratisation is a violation under Cabinet Resolution No. 95 of 2022. See the UAE Emiratisation and Nafis page.
How does Saudization (Nitaqat) work in Saudi Arabia?
Every company is placed in one of five Nitaqat bands, Platinum, High Green, Medium Green, Low Green or Red, by comparing its share of Saudi workers with minimums set for its economic activity and headcount. Red companies cannot get new visas or renew expatriate work permits, and Low Green companies cannot get new visas.
Each band's minimum comes from a formula, m × ln(total workers) + c, with values set per activity, band and year for 2026, 2027 and 2028, so targets can rise each year. On top of Nitaqat, separate decisions set profession quotas: 100% for 69 more administrative support professions from 5 April 2026, 70% for 12 procurement professions from 31 May 2026, and 30% for 46 engineering professions from 30 June 2026, each above a minimum number of workers in the roles. Since 15 April 2026 a Saudi employee counts only if the contract is documented on Qiwa. See the Saudization and Nitaqat page.
How does Omanisation work in Oman?
The Labour Law of Royal Decree 53/2023 obliges every employer to employ Omanis. The Minister of Labour sets the required Omanisation percentage for each sector, activity and profession, and lists the jobs only Omanis may do. Employing a non-Omani in a reserved job is prohibited.
Employers keep a register of Omani staff and update it with the Ministry each January, with occupations, wages and an annual Omanisation and replacement plan. Employers with 25 or more workers carry extra duties, such as advertising vacancies with their selection criteria and planning to appoint and train Omanis for leadership roles. The law also lets an employer end a non-Omani worker's contract, after notice, to apply its Omanisation plan when it appoints an Omani to the same profession. See the Oman page.
How does Bahrainisation work in Bahrain?
Every establishment has a Bahrainisation target rate set by its approved activities, which the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) checks when it issues or renews expatriate work permits. A business below its target can still get permits through the Parallel Bahrainisation System by paying an extra fee.
The LMRA lists a work permit fee of BHD 200 for two years or BHD 100 for one year. The optional parallel fee for a permit outside the required Bahrainisation ratio is BHD 500 for two years or BHD 250 for one year, on top of the normal fee. Medical fees are separate and monthly fees still apply. The number of permits is linked to the establishment's activity and size. See the Bahrainisation page.
What does Qatar's Law No. 12 of 2024 require?
Employers must hire, train and qualify Qatari jobseekers first, then the children of Qatari mothers. The law sets no fixed percentage: the Ministry draws up a localisation plan and, with Cabinet approval, can reserve named jobs for those two groups.
The law took effect six months after its publication on 17 October 2024. Employers must tell the Ministry about every vacancy within a month of it arising, report hires under the law within 60 days of contracting, and send data on Qatari and non-Qatari staff every six months. Breaches can lead to a written warning, a suspension of Ministry transactions for up to three months or a financial penalty. Companies set up by or with QatarEnergy and petroleum production ventures are outside it. See the Qatarization page.
What does Kuwaitization require?
Kuwaitization rests on Law No. 19 of 2000 on supporting the national labour force to work for non-government employers. The Labour Law itself does not set the share of Kuwaitis an employer must hire, and we have not confirmed the current sector percentages on an official source, so this page gives none.
Confirm the current requirement for your sector with the Public Authority for Manpower before hiring. The Labour Law does refer to Law No. 19 of 2000 in one place: the social and children's allowances paid to Kuwaiti staff under Law No. 19 of 2000 are left out of the wage used for the end-of-service indemnity. See the Kuwait page.
How do Emiratisation and Saudization compare in practice?
Emiratisation is a fixed yearly rise in Emiratis in skilled jobs for companies with 50 or more workers, priced at AED 10,000 a month per missed position. Saudization sets a minimum share of Saudis across the whole workforce, by activity and size, and enforces it through visas and work permits rather than a charge.
Worked example (our arithmetic): a UAE company with 100 skilled jobs needs 2 more Emiratis in a year, one in each half. If the first-half hire is still missing, the charge from 1 July 2026 is AED 10,000 a month, or AED 60,000 over the six months to December. In Saudi Arabia, a business services company with 20 workers needs about 36.9% Saudis to reach Low Green in 2026, using the published values 1.03 × ln(20) + 33.78, and about 37.8% with 50 workers. That is roughly 8 Saudis out of 20. The UAE target grows each year from where the company stands. The Saudi target depends on what the company does and how many people it employs, and the constants rise again in 2027 and 2028.
What happens if an employer misses a Gulf hiring quota?
It depends on the country. The UAE charges AED 10,000 a month per unfilled position. Saudi Arabia restricts visas and work permits for Red and Low Green companies. Oman fines OMR 500 to OMR 1,000 for each missing Omani. Bahrain lets a business below its target buy permits at the parallel fee. Qatar can warn, suspend Ministry transactions for up to three months or fine.
In Oman, Article 144 of the Labour Law sets a fine of OMR 500 to OMR 1,000 for each Omani the employer should have hired or substituted. The employer has 6 months from discovery to reach the percentage, and the fine doubles for a repeat. Employing a non-Omani in a job reserved for Omanis is also prohibited. In the UAE, fake Emiratisation, registering nationals in roles they do not really hold, carries fines of AED 100,000 to AED 1 million under the August 2024 amendment, multiplied by the number of workers involved. For Kuwait, check the consequences with the Public Authority for Manpower, as this page does not set them out.
Key figures
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| UAE, companies with 50 or more workers | Emiratis in skilled jobs up 2% a year, 1% each half; from 1 July 2026, AED 10,000 a month (AED 120,000 a year) for each position not filled. (source) |
| UAE, cumulative aim | Rates raised by 2% a year for skilled jobs in establishments with 50 or more employees, for a cumulative increase of 10 percentage points by 2026. (source) |
| UAE, companies with 20 to 49 workers | In 14 named sectors: one Emirati by the end of 2024 and one more by the end of 2025. (source) |
| Saudi Nitaqat bands | Five bands, Platinum, High Green, Medium Green, Low Green and Red; each band's minimum is m × ln(total workers) + c, set per activity, band and year. (source) |
| Saudi Red band | No new visas, no new expatriate work permits, no renewal of existing expatriate work permits, no profession changes and no transfers in. (source) |
| Saudi project management quota | 70% from 14 February 2027 for companies with three or more workers in project management roles, measured at company level; announced 16 August 2026. (source) |
| Omanisation | Employers must employ Omanis; the Minister sets Omanisation percentages by sector, activity and profession and the jobs non-Omanis may not do. Missing the percentage costs OMR 500 to OMR 1,000 per missing Omani, doubled for a repeat (Article 144). (source) |
| Bahrain permit and parallel fees | Work permit BHD 200 for two years or BHD 100 for one year; optional parallel fee for a permit outside the Bahrainisation ratio BHD 500 (two years) or BHD 250 (one year). (source) |
| Qatar, Law No. 12 of 2024 | No fixed percentage; Qatari jobseekers first, then children of Qatari mothers; vacancies reported within a month, staff data every six months; in force six months after publication on 17 October 2024. (source) |
| Kuwait, Law No. 19 of 2000 | The legal basis for Kuwaitization; the Labour Law sets no share of Kuwaitis. Current sector percentages not confirmed on an official source. (source) |
Frequently asked questions
Which Gulf countries set a fixed percentage of nationals?
The UAE sets a 2% yearly rise in skilled jobs for companies with 50 or more workers, and Saudi Arabia sets a minimum share by activity and size plus profession quotas of 30% to 100%. Oman and Bahrain set percentages or target rates by ministerial decision or activity. Qatar's 2024 law sets no fixed percentage, and Kuwait's current percentages are not confirmed here.
Can an employer pay instead of hiring nationals?
Only in a limited sense. In the UAE the AED 10,000 monthly charge does not remove the target, which still has to be met. In Bahrain the parallel fee lets a business below its target obtain extra work permits. Saudi Nitaqat works through visas and work permits instead: a low band means losing them.
What is fake Emiratisation?
Registering UAE nationals in roles they do not really hold, to meet the target or claim Nafis support. It is a violation under Cabinet Resolution No. 95 of 2022, and since the August 2024 amendment fictitious recruitment carries fines of AED 100,000 to AED 1 million, multiplied by the number of workers involved.
Does every Saudi employee count towards Nitaqat?
No. Since 15 April 2026 only Saudis with contracts documented on Qiwa count. A ministerial decision of November 2020 also set monthly wage thresholds below which a Saudi counts as half a worker or not at all.
Does Emiratisation apply to a company with 20 to 49 staff?
Only in 14 named sectors, such as information and communications, finance and insurance, construction, and wholesale and retail trade. Those companies had to employ one Emirati by the end of 2024 and a second by the end of 2025. The government portal lists no further requirement for this group for 2026.
Each of the six Gulf states writes its own labour law, its own end-of-service rules and its own quota for hiring citizens. When Teamed is your legal employer, we apply the right rules for the country each person works in and update your contracts, policies and payroll as the law changes, so you never have to read a statute to stay compliant.
