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Khalaf Abdulla Rahma Al Hammadi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Pension Fund, highlighted a threefold rise in the number of Emirati citizens employed in the private sector who registered with the fund since 2021.
This increase has exceeded 180 percent, and there was a 220 percent rise in employers registered with the fund from the private sector in the first quarter of 2024, he added, noting the fund’s various measures aimed at supporting the country's Emiratisation efforts.
He also pointed out the launch of facilities and measures to ensure the registration of citizens in the emirate’s retirement system and safeguard their insurance rights, as well as the efforts aimed at combatting attempts of fake registrations in the retirement system, through the cooperation between the fund and relevant authorities, with inspection teams conducting 1,099 inspections in the past year, resulting in the identification of 123 violations related to attempts of fake registration.
In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Hammadi said the fund has provided many benefits and facilitations to employers to increase their compliance rate and avoid violations, resulting in a significant rise in the registration of insured individuals within the specified timeframe in the retirement system.
In response to a question about the measures taken by the country to support Emiratisation and its impact on Abu Dhabi’s retirement system, Al Hammadi said, "The leadership's efforts to support Emiratisation have indeed influenced the retirement system in Abu Dhabi. The number of citizens employed in the private sector and registered with the fund has witnessed significant growth due to these efforts, facilitations, and incentives provided by the UAE to encourage citizens to join this vital sector.”
“The number of newly insured individuals from the private sector has increased by 180 percent in the past three years, and the number of employers registered with the fund from the private sector has also risen to 2,872 employers, representing a 220 percent increase until the first quarter of 2024,” he added.
Regarding the procedures and mechanisms implemented by the fund to ensure private sector employers’ compliance with the retirement law, he explained that the fund has taken the necessary measures and supported registered employers in achieving Emiratisation.
He also noted that the total number of awareness workshops for employers during the past year reached 26, and pointed out that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, awareness workshops were conducted for private sector employers hiring citizens for the first time.
“We also organised 19 awareness workshops for existing insured individuals, in addition to four workshops for newly insured individuals, with a participant satisfaction rate of 95 percent,” he added.
He also emphasised the fund’s supervisory role in detecting violations by employers, especially regarding attempts at superficial Emiratisation.
Al Hammadi stressed that the fund has provided facilities to reduce future violations, including reducing fines and extending registration deadlines. For example, the registration deadline for employees was extended from 10 to 30 days to give entities more time to complete registration procedures, he further added.
Al Hammadi affirmed the responsibilities of employers to ensure compliance with the law, including the timely registration of citizens within one month of the start of their employment and the prompt payment of retirement contributions.