The UAE may soon begin carrying out background checks on all expatriate workers entering the country, meaning foreign workers will need to present a good conduct certificate from their home countries to local authorities before they can take up a job in the UAE. According to a Gulf News report, there are 4.5 million expat workers residing in the UAE who have not undergone security checks. Security clearance certificates are currently required from Emiratis but not currently from expatriates. The government also plans to increase the percentage of skilled workers to 40 percent of the workforce by 2021. Currently, nearly 79 percent of workers fall into an “unskilled’ category.
