Thousands of firms fined: what MoHRE's enforcement record tells employers

MoHRE's published enforcement record — reported by Khaleej Times for the first half of 2025 and still the clearest picture of how inspection works in practice — shows more than 5,400 establishments penalised after roughly 285,000 inspection visits. It is a useful benchmark for any employer trying to judge where the real risk sits.

Four categories dominate. Wages not paid through the Wage Protection System, with cases referred to prosecution once salaries run 45 days or more past due. Fake Emiratisation, with more than 400 cases detected in the same period. Companies operating beyond the activity their trade licence permits. And workers registered without a genuine contract behind them.

In one month alone the ministry issued over AED 34 million in fines and suspended the issuance of new work permits for the two most serious categories. That second penalty is the one that hurts a growing business: the hiring stops.

Enforcement now combines field inspection with digital monitoring of payroll and licensing data, which means a discrepancy is likely to be visible before an inspector arrives.