diff --git a/lib/request_queue_time/middleware/version.rb b/lib/request_queue_time/middleware/version.rb
index 96547ff..644ad93 100644
--- a/lib/request_queue_time/middleware/version.rb
+++ b/lib/request_queue_time/middleware/version.rb
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 module RequestQueueTime
   class Middleware
-    VERSION = "0.2.0"
+    VERSION = "0.3.0"
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/services/auto_scaling_metrics/sidekiq_reporter.rb b/lib/services/auto_scaling_metrics/sidekiq_reporter.rb
index 8e0ad71..e6af036 100644
--- a/lib/services/auto_scaling_metrics/sidekiq_reporter.rb
+++ b/lib/services/auto_scaling_metrics/sidekiq_reporter.rb
@@ -1,23 +1,31 @@
 module RequestQueueTime
   module AutoScalingMetrics
     class SidekiqReporter
-      def self.enable
+      # `required_queues` lists queue names that must always publish a datapoint,
+      # even when Redis has no entry for them. Without this, a queue with a
+      # CloudWatch autoscaling policy that never enqueues sits permanently in
+      # INSUFFICIENT_DATA, blocking scale-in for the whole service.
+      def self.enable(required_queues: [])
         Sidekiq.configure_server do |config|
           config.on(:leader) do
             AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter.start do |reporter|
-              reporter.collector = method(:collect_metrics)
+              reporter.collector = -> { collect_metrics(required_queues) }
             end
           end
         end
       end
 
-      def self.collect_metrics
-        Sidekiq::Queue.all.each do |queue|
+      def self.collect_metrics(required_queues = [])
+        live_queues = Sidekiq::Queue.all.to_h { |q| [q.name, q] }
+        names = (required_queues + live_queues.keys).uniq
+
+        names.each do |name|
+          queue = live_queues[name]
           AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter.add_metric(
             metric_name: "sidekiq_queue_latency",
-            value: queue.paused? ? 0 : queue.latency,
+            value: (queue.nil? || queue.paused?) ? 0 : queue.latency,
             unit: "Seconds",
-            dimensions: [{name: "queue_name", value: queue.name}]
+            dimensions: [{name: "queue_name", value: name}]
           )
         end
       end
diff --git a/spec/services/sidekiq_reporter_spec.rb b/spec/services/sidekiq_reporter_spec.rb
index fc3e98a..ba84a66 100644
--- a/spec/services/sidekiq_reporter_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/sidekiq_reporter_spec.rb
@@ -8,10 +8,25 @@
       expect(Sidekiq).to receive(:configure_server).and_yield(config = double)
       expect(config).to receive(:on).with(:leader).and_yield
       expect(RequestQueueTime::AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter).to receive(:start).and_yield(reporter = double)
-      expect(reporter).to receive(:collector=).with(described_class.method(:collect_metrics))
+      expect(reporter).to receive(:collector=).with(an_instance_of(Proc))
 
       described_class.enable
     end
+
+    it "passes required_queues through to the collector" do
+      expect(Sidekiq).to receive(:configure_server).and_yield(config = double)
+      expect(config).to receive(:on).with(:leader).and_yield
+      collector = nil
+      allow(RequestQueueTime::AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter).to receive(:start).and_yield(reporter = double)
+      allow(reporter).to receive(:collector=) { |c| collector = c }
+
+      described_class.enable(required_queues: %w[critical within_3_hours])
+
+      allow(Sidekiq::Queue).to receive(:all).and_return([])
+      expect(described_class).to receive(:collect_metrics).with(%w[critical within_3_hours]).and_call_original
+      expect(RequestQueueTime::AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter).to receive(:add_metric).twice
+      collector.call
+    end
   end
 
   describe ".collect_metrics" do
@@ -42,5 +57,39 @@
 
       described_class.collect_metrics
     end
+
+    it "emits 0 for required_queues that are absent from Redis" do
+      live = double(name: "default", latency: 5, paused?: false)
+      allow(Sidekiq::Queue).to receive(:all).and_return([live])
+
+      expect(RequestQueueTime::AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter).to receive(:add_metric).with(
+        metric_name: "sidekiq_queue_latency",
+        value: 5,
+        unit: "Seconds",
+        dimensions: [{name: "queue_name", value: "default"}]
+      )
+      expect(RequestQueueTime::AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter).to receive(:add_metric).with(
+        metric_name: "sidekiq_queue_latency",
+        value: 0,
+        unit: "Seconds",
+        dimensions: [{name: "queue_name", value: "within_3_hours"}]
+      )
+
+      described_class.collect_metrics(%w[default within_3_hours])
+    end
+
+    it "deduplicates when a required queue is also live" do
+      live = double(name: "critical", latency: 2, paused?: false)
+      allow(Sidekiq::Queue).to receive(:all).and_return([live])
+
+      expect(RequestQueueTime::AutoScalingMetrics::Reporter).to receive(:add_metric).once.with(
+        metric_name: "sidekiq_queue_latency",
+        value: 2,
+        unit: "Seconds",
+        dimensions: [{name: "queue_name", value: "critical"}]
+      )
+
+      described_class.collect_metrics(%w[critical])
+    end
   end
 end