Under the patronage of Mansour bin Zayed, Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed honours winners of the 3rd edition of Emirates Labour Market Award

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, winners in the third edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award were honoured by His Highness Sheikh 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.

The honouring ceremony of the third edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award, the first of its kind in the UAE to recognise pioneering and distinguished labour market practices among private-sector companies and outstanding workforces, was held today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), organised by the Ministry of Human Resources ahis hignessnd Emiratisation (MoHRE).

During the ceremony, 100 winners were honoured out of approximately 18,000 applications submitted for this year’s edition of the award. Winners were selected following thorough evaluations by specialised committees, based on comprehensive governance standards that ensure accuracy, transparency, and integrity at every stage. The assessment criteria covered key areas including employment and empowerment, occupational health and safety, innovation and creativity, talent attraction, and social responsibility, along with category-specific criteria for each of the award’s five categories.

His Excellency Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar expressed his appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his steadfast patronage of the Emirates Labour Market Award since its inception, noting that His Highness’ support has been a catalyst for the remarkable results the award has achieved throughout its successive editions, which, in turn, actively support efforts to advance the UAE’s position as the ideal global destination for living, working, and investing.

In his speech during the ceremony, His Excellency congratulated the winners in the award’s various categories, thanking everyone who applied and noting the close competition among participants, which required great effort and strict adherence to precise and transparent governance criteria in order to ensure fair decision-making. His Excellency also applauded the Ministry’s partners, including private-sector sponsors, arbitration committees, and everyone who contributed to the success of this year’s edition of the award.

Under the Establishments category, which honours pioneering companies in the UAE labour market, the Emirates Labour Market Award recognised winners across 10 subcategories, out of the 11 subcategories usually included under Establishments.

Darwish Engineering Emirates won first place in the Real Estate Sector subcategory, followed by BOSIO Construction in second place, while four companies shared third place, namely, Wade Adams Contracting, Ras Al Khaimah Cement Company, Desert Landscape, and Al Serh Al Kabeer Construction.

In the Trade Sector, Chalhoub Group won first place, followed by Euro Mechanical & Electrical Contracting Company in second, while GMG Consumer and Bin Hamoodah Auto shared third place. In the Manufacturing Sector subcategory, the committee selected Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Manufacturers for first place, with Gulf Craft coming in second, and Transgulf Readymix Concrete and Terraco UAE sharing third place.

Subcategories also included the Healthcare Sector, where Saudi German Hospital won first place, G42 Laboratory secured second place, and three establishments – LLH Hospital, Canadian Medical Center, and Medcare Hospital – shared third place.

The award also honoured Ambassador School for winning first place in the Education Sector subcategory, followed by Springdales School in second place, and Al Hikmah Private School in third. Meanwhile, in the Financial Services Sector, American Life Insurance secured first place, while Travelex Emirates Exchange took second, and Omniyat Middle East Investments and Management came in third.

In the Mining and Natural Resources Management Sector subcategory, Schlumberger Middle East won first place, with Sigma Engineering Works coming in second, while Applied AI Innovation Research won first place in the Information and Communications Sector.

In the Professional and Consulting Services Sector, KEO International Consultants won first place, with Alef Education Consultancy in second place, and AJMS Global Consulting in third.

And in the Other Economic Sectors subcategory, Aramex Emirates won first place, representing the Transportation and Storage Sector, while Neuron and Deliveroo came in second and third place, respectively, both representing the Administrative Services Sector.

The second main category, Labour Accommodation, aims to recognise investment in pioneering labour accommodations. Winners were honoured across three subcategories: Large Labour Accommodations; Small to Medium Labour Accommodations; and Best Worker Welfare Initiative, with three winners selected for each.

For the Large Labour Accommodations subcategory, housing more than 10,000 workers, Tasameem Workers City secured first place, with Aryam Razeen in second place, and Nuzul in third. For the Small to Medium Labour Accommodations sub-category, housing 10,000 workers or fewer, Alec Contractor won first place, followed by Al-Futtaim in second place and First Security Group in third.

The third sub-category, the Best Worker Welfare Initiative, was introduced this year. Construction Workers Residential City was honoured in the Best Worker Welfare Initiative for the large labour accommodations branch of the subcategory, while Emirates Global Aluminium and Al Naseem Accommodation won for Best Worker Welfare Initiative for small to medium labour accommodations.

The third main category for the award is Business Services Partners, which recognises offices that implement and develop best practices. It is divided into three subcategories: Domestic Worker Recruitment Offices; Recruitment Agencies; and Business Services Centres, with one winner selected for each.

Taheed for Domestic Workers Services was honoured in the Domestic Worker Recruitment Offices subcategory, while Mazaya Recruitment won the Recruitment Agencies subcategory, and Falak Tayyeb Platinum Government Services received the honour in the Business Services Centres subcategory.

The fourth main category, Outstanding Workforce, awarded to distinguished workers who have contributed to the UAE labour market and society, honoured winners across three subcategories: Outstanding Workforce - Skilled workers, divided into four branches; Outstanding Workforce - Workers at Other Professional Levels, divided into three branches; and Domestic Workers, divided into two branches.

The Management & Executives branch of the Outstanding Workforce - Skilled workers subcategory saw Abdullah Albriki, Head of Cybersecurity at Emsteel, and Anas Kadiyarakam Puthiya, Human Resources Manager at LLH Hospital, tie for first place, while Samer Mohammad Irsan, Government Relations Manager at Aramex Regional, secured second place, followed by Muhammad Abdulmoneim Abdulazim, HR Manager at Spark Maintenance & Oil-Field Services, in third.

The Specialists branch under the same subcategory honoured Sivakumary Harikrishnan, Gynaecologist at Medcare Women and Children Hospital, as first-place winner, with Omar Mohammad Saadeh, Computer Programmer at National Catering Company Limited, following in second place, while Hemida Abdelati Ali, Editorial Translator at ABM Marks & Rights, and Private Tutor Boussayna Ezzat Alhusari shared third place.

Under the Technical Professionals branch, Wafaa Khaled Taieb, Occupational Health and Safety Technician at Sharjah American International Private School, was honoured with first place, with Ranjit Singh Krishan, Construction Supervisor at Sobha Construction, securing second place, and Husamelden Tariq Abdalrahman, Medical Laboratory Technician at Future Horizon Employees Provision Services, winning third.

The fourth and final branch under this subcategory – Administrative Professionals – saw two first-place winners: Ghada Mahmoud Elnokrashy, Teaching Assistant at Greenwood International School, and Vaibhav Kumar Gupta, Project Manager at Majid Al Futtaim Hypermarkets. Two winners tied for second place as well, Zeyad Ghazi Abd El Hamid, Sales Executive at Gulf Star Commodities Company, and Mohammed Abdulla Alharsoosi, Head of the Executive Office at CyberGate Defense, while Mohammad Maruf Islam, Customer Service Employee at Power Security Services, came in third.

The Outstanding Workforce - Workers at Other Professional Levels subcategory featured three branches. The Basic Professions branch recognised three winners: Jafar Khan, Painter’s Assistant at Abdul Baqi Building Contracting, in first place; Nasruudin Khan, Cleaner at Alnajma Alfareeda International Building Maintenance, in second; and Naveen Nayini Gangaiah, Ticket Collector at Integrated Parking Services, in third.

Three winners were also honoured under the Craft & Manual Trades branch: Didar Singh Bhajan, Construction Carpenter at Al Athar Recruitment Service, won first place, followed by Dhakchanamoorthy Vallikannan, Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor at Al Nabooda Auto Mobiles, in second place, and Idrees Khan Rasool Khan, Steel Welder at Shah Fahad Khan Concrete Carpenter Contracting, in third.

Similarly, the Machinery Operations branch selected three winners: Anil Kumar Padmanabhan, Machine Tool Operator at Sigma Enterprises, won first place; Mostafa Abdalla Kamel, Machine Assembler at SKM Air Conditioning, secured second place; and Ejaz Ahmad Ghulam, Delivery Driver at Delqo Express Delivery Services, won third.

Domestic Workers, the final subcategory under the Outstanding Workforce category, included two branches, the first of which, Home Care Professions, honoured two winners: Domestic Workers Maimona Ayunan and Gamhewayalage Somwathi. Meanwhile, the Home Support Professions branch honoured Farmer Mohammed Eleas Sarker, Private Driver Basheer Kaniyankandy Mamo Kaniyankandy, and worker Umer Khan Nandar Khan.

The third edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award also honoured social media influencers Abdullah AlRaesi and Fatima Abdullah for their role in educating the community about labour market legislation and initiatives.

The fifth and final category, The Elite category, is granted by direct decision from the award committee to companies, workers, and strategic partners who have played a tangible role in developing the UAE labour market. Various groups within the labour market are honoured under this subcategory, including large, small, and medium-sized establishments, along with distinguished workers, business, and strategic partners.

Majid Al Futtaim Group, Al-Futtaim Group, DAMAC, AW Rostamani Group, Aldar Properties, and Al Ansari Exchange received individual recognition under The Elite category, honouring their pivotal role in implementing labour market policies, supporting compliance initiatives, backing labour market initiatives, and sponsoring the third edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award.

The award also honoured its strategic partners as part of The Elite category, recognising the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs, and Port Security, along with the Central Bank of the UAE, and the Labour Accommodation Authority, for their efforts to support labour market policies and ensure compliance with regulations and legislation.

Winning companies receive several benefits, including a spot in the first category of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s classification system, which allows them to benefit from discounts on MoHRE services and make significant financial savings. All winning companies are awarded the Ministry’s Diamond classification, which includes benefits such as priority in processing transactions, addressing technical challenges, and premium call centre services.

Regarding workforce prizes, the first-place winner receives a cash prize of AED 100,000, the second-place winner receives a cash prize of AED 75,000, while the third-place winner receives a cash prize of AED 50,000. For individual awards (for outstanding workforce), the first-place winner receives a cash prize of AED100,000, with AED75,000 awarded for second place, and AED50,000 for third.

The third edition of the Emirates Labour Market Award was sponsored by ten companies, in line with their commitment to social responsibility and to supporting labour market initiatives. Sponsors included DAMAC and Aldar Properties as Diamond Sponsors, with the Insurance Pool and Sobha Realty joining as Platinum Sponsors.

Meanwhile, Gold Sponsors included du (Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company), Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat), Electronic Document Centre (EDC), National Marine Dredging Company, and Al Ansari Exchange, while AW Rostamani Group joined as a Silver Sponsor.