Nearly 200 social media accounts offering unlicensed domestic worker recruitment services were shut down across the UAE in the first half of 2026, as part of a coordinated campaign targeting the unlicensed domestic worker recruitment market, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced on 16 September 2026.
The accounts were closed in cooperation with the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) after authorities determined they were promoting domestic worker services without the required licences or any link to a MoHRE-licensed recruitment office.
The figure marks a sharp increase on the same period a year earlier. In the first half of 2025, MoHRE and TDRA shut down 77 accounts engaged in the same type of unlicensed activity.
Enforcement extends beyond social media
The social media closures are one part of a broader enforcement push. In 2025, MoHRE detected 300 violations committed by 57 domestic worker recruitment offices and closed 12 unlicensed recruitment offices, referring them to the Public Prosecution.
In September 2025, MoHRE shut down 11 unlicensed offices in Al Ain in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority, after they were found to be operating without a licence or under licences issued outside Abu Dhabi. A separate action in the first half of 2025 saw 40 recruitment offices fined for approximately 140 violations of the Labour Law concerning Domestic Workers, most of them related to failures to refund recruitment fees within the required two-week window.
MoHRE said it is deploying field inspections alongside electronic monitoring, tracking systems, and artificial intelligence to identify unlicensed activity. The ministry said it will continue developing its digital monitoring tools in cooperation with other authorities.
What employers need to check before hiring
MoHRE urged families and employers to verify the licensing status of any domestic worker service advertised on social media before making payments or proceeding with a recruitment provider.
Using a licensed office gives employers access to regulated contracts, approved pricing packages, and a formal complaints channel with the ministry. Licensed offices must also follow procedures governing the recruitment and employment of domestic workers, and the workers themselves must meet the relevant regulatory requirements.
There are currently 136 licensed domestic worker recruitment centres operating across the UAE. Their details are published on the MoHRE licensing services page. To maintain a licence, recruitment and temporary employment agencies are required to hold a bank guarantee of at least Dh1,000,000.
Licensed offices are also able to offer a temporary package under which a trained domestic worker can be provided within 24 hours, according to MoHRE guidance on unlicensed agency risks.
Members of the public can report unlicensed domestic worker services or misleading advertisements to MoHRE on 600590000. The ministry also publishes the full list of licensed recruitment offices on its official website.
