Employer of record in United Arab Emirates
24 sourced figures on hiring in United Arab Emirates, drawn from 7 sources and normalized for comparison: statutory rules, employer cost and exactly what an EOR covers locally. Every figure is dated.
Hiring here: moderately complex, mid-range on cost, and fast to hire via EOR.
Employer of record in United Arab Emirates: the statutory snapshot
The headline employer costs, pay floor and worker protections for hiring in United Arab Emirates through an employer of record, each figure sourced and dated. 51 EOR providers cover United Arab Emirates.
| Employer social security | 15% | National government, 2026-09-12 |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax | 9% | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, 2026-09-09 |
| Average income tax | 0% | OECD, 2026-01-01 |
| Notice period | 4.3 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Severance | 18.1 weeks | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Annual leave (minimum, once eligible) | 22 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Public holidays | 13 | National government, 2026-09-12 |
| Maternity leave | 8.6 weeks | Perplexity (AI gap-fill), 2026-01-01 |
As of 2026-10-16. Each value is the winning figure from primary and harmonized sources, resolved by a documented priority chain. Full record with provenance below.
Reading the data
What the figures say about United Arab Emirates
Employers in the UAE face a combined social security contribution of 15% (employer) and 11% (employee), on top of a 9% corporate tax rate and a 5% VAT rate. The average monthly wage stands at AED 7,451, and payroll runs on a monthly cycle with no 13th-month salary obligation. Statutory annual leave is 30 days, alongside 14 public holidays, while maternity leave is 8.6 weeks and paternity leave is 0.7 weeks. Exit costs are meaningful: statutory severance reaches 18.1 weeks of pay, and employers must give 4.3 weeks of notice. The statutory working week is 48 hours, though actual hours worked average 51 hours per week. With a labour force of 7.6 million people and an unemployment rate of 2.17%, the available talent pool is large relative to the number of people actively seeking work.
Where to start
Three ways to hire in United Arab Emirates
You are the employer. Lowest per head cost at scale, months to establish.
You direct the work, the provider's local entity is the employer on paper. Compliant in days.
See the 51 providers below ↓Not your employee. Fastest and cheapest, with misclassification exposure.
The full record
Every figure behind the snapshot
Not a guide, a record: 24 figures for United Arab Emirates from 7 sources, last refreshed 2026-10-16. Each value carries its source and the date it was pulled. Hover any provenance tag for the full chain.
// recent updates
What changed in United Arab Emirates
Checked against official sources on 16 October 2026
No rule changes recorded since we began logging them.
Every figure is sourced and dated. How we verify the data →
The differentiator
What an EOR handles in United Arab Emirates
An EOR removes the entity and the payroll machinery. It does not remove your obligations as the people manager.
Provider × country
Who can employ in United Arab Emirates
51 providers operate an EOR in United Arab Emirates, ranked by Select Score.
Comparing EOR options for United Arab Emirates?
Run a side-by-side on the providers that actually operate there.