“Human Resources and Emiratisation” succeeds in settling 98.6% of labor disputes between its parties during 2025

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation succeeded in settling 98.6% of all labor disputes received during the past year 2025 in the private sector, compared to only 1.4% that were referred to the judiciary due to the impossibility of settlement between the two parties.

These results reflect confidence in the procedures followed by the Ministry and their effectiveness and efficiency in accelerating the settlement of labor disputes in a way that preserves the legal rights of all disputing parties and reduces the burdens on them and on the labor courts in the country. This matter came after the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation took over, as of January 1, 2024, adjudicating disputes received by it from both parties to the employment relationship in disputes in which the value of the claim does not exceed 50 thousand dirhams, or when the dispute is over non-compliance. Either party to the dispute may file a lawsuit before the competent court of first instance to consider the subject of the dispute within 15 working days from the date of notification and announcement of the decision.

In this context, during the past year 2025, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation referred only three collective labor disputes to the Collective Labor Disputes Committee to consider the demands of the 322 workers, which reflects the stability of labor relations in private sector establishments, and the effectiveness of preventive and supervisory interventions and awareness programs implemented by the Ministry in coordination with its strategic partners.

Communication operations related to labor consultations and complaints in 2025 amounted to about 9 million and 430 thousand communications between incoming and outgoing calls, from which both parties to the labor relationship benefit. This confirms that the labor market management system in the country operates with advanced operational efficiency, supported by a smart digital structure and qualified legal personnel, capable of absorbing labor market requirements and addressing them according to the highest standards of governance and speed based on proactiveness and digital integration, in a way that enhances customer satisfaction.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation confirmed in a press statement that the positive results achieved during the year 2025 represent a direct reflection of the sustainable institutional development process pursued by the Ministry, which is based on modernizing legislation and enhancing the efficiency of systems and procedures approved through customer councils and processes of zeroing out bureaucracy, in addition to employing advanced digital solutions in accordance with the highest professional standards.

This integrated approach contributed to accelerating the resolution of complaints, raising the efficiency of completion, alleviating the burdens on customers, and ensuring that rights holders receive their legal entitlements in the shortest possible period, thus enhancing the principles of justice and transparency to ensure the stability of the labor market in the country.

The Ministry stressed its commitment to implementing a fair and transparent system to address labor complaints, while ensuring complete confidentiality of all complaints submitted, in a manner consistent with the provisions of the legislation regulating the labor market in the country, enhancing the competitiveness of the UAE labor market and its leadership regionally and globally, and consolidating the UAE’s position as a preferred global destination for living, working and investing in a stable and balanced work environment that protects the rights of all parties.

The Ministry also provides electronic and smart communication channels for customers, available in more than 22 languages, to submit complaints, report negative practices in the labor market easily and with complete confidentiality, follow up on these complaints, and communicate with the Ministry to obtain guidance and awareness services.

The Ministry is keen to facilitate the procedures for submitting complaints and examining them by specialized legal researchers in a transparent and impartial manner, and in a manner consistent with the provisions of Federal Decree Law No. (33) of 2021 regarding the regulation of labor relations, its amendments, its executive regulations, and the ministerial decisions implementing them.

The country’s labor market legislation and its implementation on the ground keep pace with the highest international standards, which was evident in the UAE’s ranking first globally in the indicator of the lack of labor disputes, according to the results of the Global Competitiveness Yearbook Report 2024 and 2025, respectively, among a set of global competitiveness indicators related to the labor market in which the UAE ranked first.