ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the winners of the second edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award were honoured by His Highness Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, and His Excellency Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Chairman of the award’s Supervisory Committee, in a ceremony held today by the ministry at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi).
During the ceremony, 84 winners including companies and workers were honoured, selected out of 7,700 applications submitted across the award’s five main categories, with a total prize pool valued at Dh37 million. Applications were evaluated by expert committees based on criteria such as employment and empowerment, occupational health and safety, creativity and innovation, talent acquisition, labour relations and wages, and social responsibility, among several other comprehensive, integrated and category-specific criteria.
On this occasion, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “The UAE Government’s forward-thinking and sustainability-driven vision, under the exceptional leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, has enabled our nation to stand out as an inspiring example of excellence and leadership, a beacon of innovation across all vital sectors, and a role model for constructive collaboration between the public and private sectors. This synergy empowers us to move forward and achieve the ambitious strategic objectives outlined in the UAE 2031 vision and the UAE Centennial 2071 Plan, further enhancing the country’s global competitiveness and standing.
“We congratulate the winners in this second edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award, whose name embodies the UAE’s ambition to be a world leader in every field. We are proud of all the award submissions, which play a critical role in the UAE’s pioneering economic development journey, supporting the country’s efforts to build a competitive, robust, diverse, and sustainable knowledge-based economy. These contributions empower the UAE to be a global destination for talent and a launchpad for businesses, offering a healthy and agile environment that upholds international standards and best practices.”
For his part, His Excellency Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar thanked His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his continued support for the award.
His Excellency said: “The Emirates Labour Market Award has become a pillar in the UAE labour market’s journey towards excellence. It forms a strategic approach for enhancing competitiveness in the business environment and work culture, offering an essential contribution to the UAE’s efforts to advance its position as an ideal global destination for living, working, and investing.
“The second edition of the award received highly innovative submissions that required significant effort from judging panels to adapt governance and evaluation methodologies to meet the award’s stringent criteria and the high-quality, competitive entries. The submissions truly embody our wise leadership’s vision of excellence and innovation as fundamental principles, setting a benchmark for a comprehensive working system that serves to maintain the country’s journey towards great achievements and strengthen its sustainable development framework.
“This resonates with the UAE’s vision to build an integrated, competitive knowledge economy, develop its economic infrastructure and business environment, and position itself among the world’s most powerful and fastest growing economies.
“The award submissions reflect the deep sense of social responsibility among private-sector companies and their compliance with labour market regulations, as well as their competitiveness and commitment to developing their workers’ skills in a safe and empowering work environment. Submissions also highlighted companies’ ability to establish a comprehensive work system centred on efficiency and creativity, underlining their commitment to fostering innovation and becoming a leading partner in government efforts to shape the future.”
His Excellency congratulated the award winners, applauded the efforts of all applicants, and extended his gratitude to the award’s sponsors, judging panels, and everyone who contributed to the success of this edition.
In the Companies category, which recognises leading companies in the labour market, 24 companies were honoured across 9 subcategories based on evaluation results. The category includes a total of 33 winners across 11 subcategories.
Subcategories include the Mining and Quarrying sector, where Oceaneering OIS Company took first place, while Emirates District Cooling (Emicool) won first place in the Manufacturing sector, followed by Siemens Industries in second and Arabian Packaging Co. in third.
The first-place prize in the Wholesale and Retail Trade sector went to Sharjah Co-operative Society (Sharjah Coop), followed by Chalhoub Group in second, and Masafi Co. along with Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets in third place.
In Real Estate, Damac secured first place, followed by Binghatti Development in second, and Mazrui & Hawi Painting Co in third.
Meanwhile, the Financial and Insurance Activities sector saw Al Fardan Exchange take first place, followed by Al Ansari Exchange in second, and Islamic Arab Insurance Company – Salama in third.
In the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Activities sector, Accenture Middle East won first place, with Ernst & Young Middle East taking second place and TRENDS Research & Advisory coming in third.
The Education sector, for its part, saw Brighton College Dubai win first place, with Safa British School taking second, and Raffles World Academy taking third. Meanwhile, the Health and Social Work sector saw LLH Hospital win first place, with Burjeel Hospital taking second, and Medcare Hospital coming in third. Lastly, Emirates Fast Food Company won first place in the Others subcategory of the Companies category.
The second category, Labour Accommodation, which is awarded for the best investment in worker housing facilities, honoured four winners across two subcategories. Labotel Workers Village and Al Eskan Al Jamae won in the Accommodations with 10,000 or More Workers, while Fujairah National Construction & Transport Co and Emirates Global Aluminium won in the Accommodations with Less Than 10,000 Workers.
The Business Services Partners category, awarded to offices implementing and developing best practices, is divided into three subcategories: Domestic Worker Recruitment Offices, Recruitment Agencies, and Business Services Centres, each honouring one winner.
Smart Global Domestic Workers Services Centre was recognised in the Domestic Worker Recruitment Offices subcategory, while Profile Recruitment won in Recruitment Agencies, and Tawjeeh Services Centre was honoured in the Business Services Centres subcategory.
The Workforce category, which honours distinguished workers who contributed to the labour market and community in the UAE, included three main subcategories: Skilled Workers, Workers at Other Professional Levels, and Domestic Workers. In total, 42 company workers were honoured, along with six domestic workers.
Under Skilled Workers, Hamad Suhail Al Awadhi from Binghatti Development won first place in the Leadership and CEOs subcategory, with Essa Abdulrahman Al Ali from RAKBANK taking second, and Imad Yousef Taha from Belhasa Falcon securing third.
Meanwhile, the Managers subcategory under Skilled Workers saw Herve Rostand Mezeu from Khadamat Facilities Management win first place, followed by Fatma Mohammed AlHammadi from GulfDrug in second, and Mohammad Abdulmoneim Ajlan from Spark Maintenance & Oil Fields Services placing third.
The Skilled Workers category also included the Workers in the Health Field subcategory, where Nashwa Mohammed Mustafa Al-Sayed from Burjeel Hospital won first place, Maya Saseendran Velayudan from LLH Hospital Mussafah won second, and Aisha Mohammed Al Shamsi from Hospinorm Maintenance Management took third place.
Aisha Saeed Obaid AlKindi from AFE Contracting took first place in the Engineering Field subcategory, followed by Waheed Addin Almasri from Al Liwan Engineering Consultants in second, and Hussam Mohammed Khedr from Al Badr Contracting and Civil Construction in third.
In the Education Field subcategory, three winners were honoured: Zainab Mahmoud AlMustafa from The National Charity School For Girls won first place, Nedal Ghazi Khaddour from Al Reef School followed in second place, and Wala Younis Al Dheisat from Al-Hamdanya Grand Private School came in third.
Meanwhile, the Financial Field subcategory saw Subhro Chakraborty from Diamondlease win first place, with Hamda Mubarak Alshamsi and Sana Saif Aljaberi, both from Al Fardan Exchange, securing the second and third places, respectively.
Similarly, in the Administrative Field subcategory, Ahmed Ali Ismail from Alkafaa Engineering Consultants won first place, while Pravin Kumar Kumaresan from Euro Mechanical & Electrical Contracting Company followed in second, and Bharath Kumar Veloori from Lifecare Hospital came in third.
Lastly, the Skilled Workers category concluded with the Other subcategory, which consisted of General Nomination Requests. Hamda Humaid Alarif from Majid Al Futtaim Properties won first place in the subcategory, followed by Hamad Abdullah Al Shehhi from Keolis MHI Rail Management & Operation in second place, and Abdulla Nasser Al Nuaimi from Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank in third.
The second main subcategory under Workforce is Workers at Other Professional Levels, which groups six subcategories under its umbrella, namely, Workers in the Operating Mobile Equipment & Machinery Field, where Emad Bikou from Juma Al Majid Electro Mechanical Works won first place, Purna Bahadur Khagu Lal from S.K.M. Air Conditioning followed in second, and Rab Nawaz Hussain from SSM Delivery Services took third place.
In the Workers in the Construction Sector subcategory, Adavally Gangana Adavelly from Darwish Engineering Emirates won first place, followed by Thulasee Das Variyami from National Paints Factories in second place, and Mohammed Sultan Abdul Bari from National Projects & Construction ranked third place.
Meanwhile, in the Workers in the Installation and Finishing Field subcategory, Toti Khan Akhtar Khan from Mazrui & Hawi Painting Company won first place, Anowar Hossain Ahsan Ullah from Western Bainoona Quarry followed in second place, and Sarabjit Kumar Chaman Lal from Trojan General Contracting came in third.
In the Workers in the Electricity, Mechanics, Operating Machines & Equipment Field subcategory, Nestor Montalbo Handog from Wade Adams Contracting won first place, with Ramesh Bahadur Tamang from Western Bainoona Quarry taking second place, and Amjad Mehmood Khan from DBB Contracting ranking third.
In the Workers in the Cleaning Industry subcategory, Qais Uddin Nimar from Cleanco Cleaning Services won first place, followed by Nazrul Mohammed Nuru from Tanzifco Emirates in second place, and Nagula Sadanand Goud from Lavajet Company in third.
Lastly, in the Other Professions subcategory, Ismail Noor Hammad from Cad Cam Dental Lab won first place, with Salam Pookkela Valappil from Al Fardan Exchange coming in second, and Naveen Rangu Kistaiah from Integrated Parking Services taking the third spot.
The third and final main subcategory under Workforce is Domestic Workers, which saw Norhana Mohammad Omar and Solin Bint Salam Hassan take the first and second spots, respectively, in the Home Care Professions subcategory. Meanwhile, farmer Mohammed Nijam Uddin was honoured in first place, and driver Abdul Rasheed Mengal won second place in the Specialised Professions subcategory. Finally, the Other Professions subcategory under Domestic Workers, saw shepherds Ebaya Yahya and Kabir Khan win first and second place, respectively.
The fifth and final category of the Emirates Labour Market Award, introduced for the first time in this second edition, is the Special Recognition category, granted by direct decision of the award’s committee to companies, workers, and strategic partners who have played a significant role in advancing the UAE labour market.
It includes the Elite Companies subcategory, which honours companies with exemplary practices and a positive influence on the UAE labour market; in this subcategory, Al Fahim Group was honoured. The Pioneering Initiative subcategory celebrates initiatives that organise labour relations, develop practices in talent acquisition, and empower the workforce, the winning awards in this category were given to the Talabat Rest initiative, the Giving Family initiative, and the Food ATM initiative. In the Social Influencer category, influencer Omar Al Helo was honoured for his efforts in raising awareness of labour market laws, policies, and regulations.
Companies that secured first place in the second edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award receive a range of benefits, namely, classification in the first category of the MoHRE’s company rankings, discounts on services from the Ministry, and financial savings of up to AED1.5 million. Meanwhile, second-place and third-place winners receive the same benefits, however with financial savings of up to AED1 million, and up to Dh500,000 respectively.
All winning companies are awarded the MoHRE Diamond classification, which includes benefits such as priority in processing transactions, addressing technical challenges, and premium call centre service.
Meanwhile, the workforce awards include a cash prize of Dh100,000 for the first-place winner, Dh75,000 for the second-place winner, and Dh50,000 for third place.
The Emirates Labour Market Award is sponsored by 14 companies in the UAE, in line with their commitment to social responsibility and to supporting labour market initiatives. Sponsors include DAMAC and Majid Al Futtaim groups as diamond sponsors, with the Insurance Pool, Binghatti Development, Aldar Group, and Emirates NBD bank as platinum sponsors.
Furthermore, sponsors in the gold category include Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat), Sobha Realty, du, and Al Rostamani Group, while silver sponsors include Dubai Duty Free, NMDC Group, and ADNEC, with Al Habtoor Group and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) joining as bronze sponsors.