Employer insurance schemes in the UAE

How many workers has the Workers Protection Programme paid?

MOHRE reports that more than 44,000 workers have been paid under the programme since launch, an average of more than AED 7,000 each, and more than AED 300 million over the last 5 years. The review date for these figures is 22 July 2026.¹ The claims relate to unpaid wages, unpaid end of service and other worker entitlements. 44,000 workers at AED 7,000 each comes to AED 308 million, in line with the total of more than AED 300 million. All three figures are stated as “more than”, so the check is approximate.

The government portal gives a maximum cover of AED 20,000 per worker where a company goes bankrupt or fails to pay entitlements.²

What must an employer provide for the programme?

Establishments under the Labour Law provide either a bank guarantee of AED 3,000 per worker or insurance for each worker. Establishments that MOHRE classes as high-risk insure each worker.³ A bank guarantee is not insurance. The WPP guide sets this out. Ask MOHRE whether your establishment is classed as high-risk.

How many workers hold unemployment insurance?

MOHRE states that 88.38% of the targeted private-sector workforce held policies and that about 17,758 workers had received support since the system took effect. The review date is 13 November 2025.¹ The page does not define the targeted workforce.

• With a policy
• Remainder, derived

With a policy 88.38% (88%), Remainder, derived 11.62% (12%). Total 100%.

Source

Source: MOHRE Labour Market Observatory, Social Protection and Well-Being Assurance. Accessed 4 Nov 2026.

Article 2 has workers of the federal government and private sectors subscribe by buying a policy, with listed exceptions.⁴ The unemployment insurance guide covers the employer’s position.

How fast are the workforce and the number of employers growing?

The workforce grew 12.4% in 2025 and 2.2% in the first half of 2026. Establishments grew 7.8% in 2025, and the rate printed for the first half of 2026 is -0.4. These figures carry a review date of 22 July 2026.⁵

Evidence table

Figure	Value	Review date
Workers Protection Programme, workers who benefited since launch	more than 44,000	22 July 2026
Workers Protection Programme, average paid to each worker	more than AED 7,000	22 July 2026
Workers Protection Programme, paid against claims over the last 5 years	more than AED 300 million	22 July 2026
Unemployment insurance, employees with policies among the targeted private-sector workforce	88.38%	13 November 2025
Unemployment insurance, workers supported since the system took effect	about 17,758	13 November 2025

The small print

Two sources give different programme totals. Both are kept.¹⁶

Source	Workers	Amount	Period stated	Date
MOHRE observatory	more than 44,000	more than AED 300 million	Workers since launch, amount over the last 5 years	Review date 22 July 2026
ETHRWorld, citing MOHRE	more than 44,000	in excess of AED 320 million	By the end of June, no start date	12 August 2026

• The ETHRWorld report opens with AED 832 million paid across both schemes during the first half of 2026. Its body gives the unemployment share as AED 512 million for the period from the start of 2024 to the end of the first half of 2026, and no start date for the programme share. The AED 832 million is therefore not a six-month figure.⁶
• A review date is not a data period. The two schemes carry different review dates and are not compared.
• Figures stated as “more than” or “about” are lower bounds or rounded values. Review dates change, so each figure may be replaced.
• MOHRE says the programme covers around 99% of the workforce across economic sectors, with a review date of 13 November 2025. The page gives no method for that statement.
• The support count for unemployment insurance and the AED 512 million carry different dates and periods, so no average per worker is calculated.
• The figures give no claim rate, refusal rate, exposure per employer or split by sector.