Covid-19 in UAE: Firm launches helpline for residents facing job losses

Dubai - 'We are sharing CVs to all our network partners, free of charge, having openings'

A recruiting company in the UAE has launched an online support system for anyone who has been affected by the virus outbreak and is currently looking for work.
Global recruitment and outsourcing specialists Marc Ellis's helpline looks at the applicants' CVs, provide advice on how it can be improved, and shares it with its network partners free of charge, said Aws Ismail, general manager of the Marc Ellis UAE office.  
"We are sharing CVs to all our network partners free of charge to allow employers currently having openings or will be looking to hire people in the near future to build a pool of suitable candidates."
Ismail said these services will be completely free of charge for the time being until everything returns back to normal. The helpline can be reached by emailing your CV to help@marc-ellis.com. The company are also appealing employers who have current needs to reach out so that they can share the applications they are receiving from this service.
The service was launched on March 22 in the UAE. "We launched it via a public post on Linkedin which has generated over 14,000 impressions from our main LinkedIn page alone. We currently have partners and clients across the GCC so we will be able to cater for candidates from across the region, however, we need assistance in reaching out to the people and more employers in the region," Ismail told Khaleej Times.
The platform has seen applications from 700 job seekers, and they receive an average of 100 applicants per day. "The applicants have all been in the UAE, mainly across Abu Dhabi and Dubai," explained Ismail.
"The 700+ applicants have been a mix of skills, including but not limited to human resource, hospitality workers, accountants, technology engineers, lawyers, teachers and so on," said Ismail.
Most applicants made redundant due to outbreak
"We have gone through 80 per cent of profiles. The majority have either been made redundant due to the outbreak, have been told they may face redundancy or are fearful that this will be the result of the outbreak and so want us to check their profiles to ensure they have profiles which will secure them the best opportunity to finding a new job," he added.
The applications received are all from junior to mid-career positions, according to Ismail. "I think companies believe that cutting down on less senior people in the business will allow them to survive during the uncertainty and so are focused on positions they believe they can replace easily later on," said Ismail.
With the new announcement released by the labour ministry, he believes more companies will be letting go of people even on a senior level to try and cope with the reduction in business.
Hiring freeze on various sectors
"We, as a business, have been focused on the technology and the finance sector. These two sectors seem to have been impacted as the question of 'what will happen next' is surrounding everybody. Many projects are either being put on hold, cancelled or delayed," said Ismail.
"We have peers working in other sectors, including the oil and gas, education, marketing, aviation, that have told us of the same thing - their clients have informed them to expect a reduction or freeze in hiring," he added.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi
• Dubai