President Sheikh Mohamed on Friday received winners of the latest cycle of the Nafis Award in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mohamed congratulated the winners and said that the private sector is a crucial part of the national economy, stressing the UAE's commitment to empowering Emirati talent across the sector, reported the state news agency Wam.
The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, or Nafis, was introduced in 2021 to lead the government's Emiratisation drive, which aimed to ensure 10 per cent of all skilled jobs in private companies were filled by UAE citizens by the end of this year.
Employers in the UAE with at least 50 members of staff are required to raise their Emirati workforce by 1 per cent every six months under the scheme, and this target reached 8 per cent at the end of 2025.
The initiative has proved crucial in encouraging large numbers of citizens who have typically preferred to take up jobs in the public sector to join the private sector. Last month, it was announced that the scheme would be extended until 2040.
