UAE unemployment insurance: 4 steps to subscribe to scheme

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The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has called on eligible employees to subscribe to the unemployment insurance scheme. Subscriptions to the mandatory scheme started on January 1, 2023.

Eligible workers in the UAE have to subscribe to the scheme before June 30 to avoid penalties. The ministry on Monday highlighted “quick and easy steps” to get the low-cost security net.

The insurance pool’s website (www.iloe.ae) is the “preferred channel” for majority of subscribers to date. Other channels include the pool’s app (IOLE), kiosks, business service centres, money exchange offices such as Al Ansari and bank apps.

Subscribing to the scheme online can be done in four steps, the ministry explained:

1. Visit the website (www.iloe.ae) and click on ‘subscribe here’ to access the registration page.

2. Select the relevant sector you are employed in.

3. Enter your personal identification data, phone number and verification code sent via SMS; choose your preferred payment interval (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual); and enter your email address.

4. Move on to the payment gateway to complete registration successfully.

The scheme covers employees in the federal government and private sectors and is divided into two categories. The first covers those with a basic salary of Dh16,000 or below. The insurance premium for the insured employee in this category is set at Dh5 per month (Dh60 annually), and the monthly compensation is capped at Dh10,000 per month.

The second category includes those with a basic salary exceeding Dh16,000, and the insurance premium is Dh10 per month (Dh120 annually), with a monthly compensation of up to Dh20,000.

The insurance compensation can be claimed as long as the insurer (employee) has subscribed to the scheme for at least 12 consecutive months. The claim can be submitted within 30 days of job loss and will be processed within two weeks of submission. The insured’s right to compensation is forfeited if he/she cancels their residency and leaves the country, or joins a new job, within the processing period.

The compensation is calculated at the rate of 60 per cent of the average basic salary for the last six months before unemployment and paid for a maximum of three months for each claim from the date of unemployment.

Those exempted from subscribing include investors – the owner of the facility in which he or she works, domestic helpers, employee with a temporary employment contract, juveniles under 18 years of age, and a retiree who receives a retirement pension and has joined a new job.