Five criterions determine whether insured Emiratis are able to benefit from Shourak
Only 1,685 cases are currently enrolled in Shourak and here’s why …
Thursday 12th June 2024 – There are five different criterions to consider when deciding to benefit from the Shourak program that insured Emiratis are required to be aware of, explained the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA).
To offer some history, Shourak was introduced last year to insured Emiratis working in UAE-based federal, government and private sector entities with an intent to improve the quality of life of insured individuals while achieving financial stability for themselves and their families, since it allows insured Emiratis the freedom to merge their employment years when changing entities and without the need to incur additional fees, while choosing not to be paid the end-of-service gratuity in order to complete the eligible pension period.
The first out of the five timeframes to consider includes the duration by which the insured’s employment service ended, i.e. whether the insured left his/her job before or after Shourak was introduced. The second criteria considers whether the employee worked for one or more years. The third determines whether the entity is affiliated with the GPSSA or another pension fund/authority, while the fourth considers whether the insured is able to join an entity during the granted period or after the end of the previous service period. The final and fifth condition to consider includes the request to merge employment periods during and after joining a new entity.
The first out of the five criterions considers the exact day and year, meaning if the insured’s employment period has ended as of 1st July 2023 – which represents the day and year Shourak was announced and introduced - he/she is able benefit from the service. Any employment period prior to this date does not apply to Shourak as per its provisions.
The second timeframe considers whether the employee worked for one or more years, meaning it is not allowed to take advantage of Shourak if the employee has worked for less than one year, since the number of years, with a minimum of one-year spent working, are what grants an end-of-service gratuity for the insured.
The third criteria includes an employment period affiliated with a pension fund/authority other than the GPSSA , which is not part of Shourak, which only includes transferring to entities that under GPSSA’s umbrella.
The fourth and the fifth measures confirm the fact that insured individuals who wish to benefit from Shourak while switching entities, may do so under the condition that they join the new entity within a maximum timeframe of six months, and merge their services once employed in the new entity within a maximum period of three months, since service periods are not included automatically unless the insured submits a request through the subsequent employer.
It is worth noting that 5,198 end-of-service gratuity cases have been received and recorded since the implementation of Shourak on 1st July 2024, out of which as little as 1,685 insured members were able to benefit from the service due to meeting the programs criteria i.e. the program applies to Emiratis whose employment service has ended after Shourak has been introduced and not before. Additionally, Shourak is for Emirati’s who wish to merge their previous and subsequent employment service years in order to keep both periods continuous.
