Earlier briefings from the Horizon GCC newsroom.
Ministerial Resolution No. 340 of 2026 replaced the old contract-based salary due date with a single federal deadline and removed the 15-day grace period. Payroll teams paying mid-month are the most exposed.
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Fixed-term contracts, the tightened WPS deadline, Emiratisation targets and leave entitlements — a plain summary of the current position under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 as amended.
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Dubai — Horizon GCC has opened a daily news and briefing section covering UAE and Gulf labour law, HR and recruitment developments, and job market data, written for employers and candidates.
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Since 11 February 2026 the overstay fine is the same across all emirates and starts the day after expiry. For employers hiring candidates already in the country, timing the status change now has a direct cost.
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The Dubai work visa in 2026 is two workflows stitched together — a MOHRE work permit and an ICP or GDRFA residency visa — with a four-step flow that typically runs 7 to 21 working days.
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The 2026 Developed Nitaqat Procedural Guide assesses Saudisation across all branches in the same economic activity and replaces fixed percentage brackets with a logarithmic formula.
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From 15 April 2026, Saudi employees are counted in Nitaqat calculations only where their employment contract is electronically documented on the Qiwa platform.
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Emiratisation, Nitaqat and Qatarisation are scored automatically from payroll and permit data. The sponsor's quota file, not the candidate's CV, is increasingly what stops a Gulf placement.
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Published 2026 benchmarks put the UAE overall median around AED 17,000 a month and Qatar around QAR 18,000, with Qatar and the UAE trading places at senior level depending on the role.
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ManpowerGroup's 2026 survey data puts the UAE at a +48% Net Employment Outlook — the highest of any major economy surveyed — with Saudi Arabia at +35%.
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