Employer of record in United Arab Emirates
22 sourced figures on hiring in United Arab Emirates, drawn from 10 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. 50 EOR providers cover United Arab Emirates.
| Employer social security | 15% | ISSA Country Profiles, 2024-01-01 |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate tax | 9% | PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, 2026-03-12 |
| Average income tax | 0% | OECD, 2026-01-01 |
| Notice period | 4.3 weeks | World Bank Employing Workers / B-READY, 2019-05-01 |
| Severance | 18.1 weeks | National government, 2022-02-02 |
| Annual leave | 30 days | Perplexity (AI gap-fill), 2026-01-01 |
| Public holidays | 14 days | Perplexity (AI gap-fill), 2026-01-01 |
| Maternity leave | 8.6 weeks | Perplexity (AI gap-fill), 2026-01-01 |
As of 2026-08-30. 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
Employing someone in the UAE carries a payroll cost above the base salary: employers contribute 15% in social security, while employees contribute a further 11%, and the corporate tax rate sits at 9% with a standard VAT rate of 5%. The average monthly wage stands at AED 7,451, paid on a monthly cycle with no 13th-month salary obligation. The statutory working week is 48 hours, though actual hours worked average 51 per week. On the exit side, statutory severance reaches 18.1 weeks and the required notice period is 4.3 weeks, meaning workforce reductions carry a meaningful cost. Leave entitlements include 30 days of statutory annual leave, 14 public holidays, 8.6 weeks of maternity leave, and 0.7 weeks of paternity leave. The retirement age is 60, and the labour force totals 7.4 million people, with an unemployment rate of 2.17%.
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 50 providers below ↓Not your employee. Fastest and cheapest, with misclassification exposure.
The full record
Every figure behind the snapshot
Not a guide, a record: 22 figures for United Arab Emirates from 10 sources, last refreshed 2026-08-30. 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
Figures refreshed as newer, more current sources replaced older ones
- SeveranceFeb 2, 2022
Now 18.1 weeks, from 0 weeks. Source: National government (was World Bank Employing Workers / B-READY).
Source →
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
50 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.