UAE jobs: Salaries increase for fresh Emirati graduates as companies race to achieve Emiratisation target

Racing to achieve Emiratisation quotas, companies in the UAE have implemented some 'strong strategies' not only to hire top talent but also to retain current employees who are now getting multiple offers, experts have said.

Companies with more than 50 employees must increase their Emiratisation rate to two per cent by the end of 2022; otherwise, they will have to pay a fine of Dh6,000 per month for every citizen not hired.

Recruitment and HR consultants say that there is excellent talent available in the market and candidates are receiving several offers.

Samantha Wright, managing consultant for Emiratisation at Michael Page, said companies are taking Emiratisation seriously and have implemented some strong strategies. Many are closely looking into what roles UAE nationals can take up in their organisations.

“Companies that are new to Emiratisation and starting on their Emiratisation journey, are mostly progressing with a bottom-up talent approach – hiring fresh graduates and those with up to two years of experience. Whereas organisations that have continued to develop their Emiratisation strategy — and have either achieved or nearly achieved their quota — are hiring and looking to attract both entry-level and senior Emirati candidates, across a range of professional skills,” said Wright.

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Vijay Gandhi, regional director for Europe, Middle East, and Africa at Korn Ferry, said organisations are looking for both young fresh graduates and experienced Emirati talent.

“Young talent from universities are well-positioned to attend the learning and development programmes which are linked to the corporate academies,” he said.

Nazar Musa, CEO of PRO Partner Group, said that with the introduction of Emiratisation, they’re seeing an increasing number of enquiries, and clients are requesting feedback on appropriate staff quotas and clarification of their Emiratisation requirements.

“To fully meet the Emiratisation requirements, firms must not only employ a certain percentage of Emirati employees but also ensure that all UAE national employees are hired into skilled jobs,” said Musa.

Getting multiple offers

UAE national Moza Alblooshi is happy that more opportunities and better packages are coming in from the private sector.

She said salaries were previously low and the private sector didn’t even hire Emiratis because of that. “Now, things have changed. We’re seeing many job opportunities; we are surprised to see that so many private companies exist,” she said.

Young graduate Sara Ali is also keen to work in the private sector.

“I prefer working in the private sector because I feel that I can be innovative. I wanted to be creative and discover more of my talents,” she said.

There is, indeed, some movement on the salaries that are being offered to citizens, said Wright. This is particularly seen at the graduate entry-level end of the market.

"Considering that there are more opportunities in the market, the demand for fresh UAE graduates has increased and therefore, as have salaries. We are seeing candidates who receive multiple offers as well as the challenge of counter-offers, with companies not wanting to lose their UAE national employees,” she said.

However, not all companies have the budget to accommodate this; hence, there are those that have to review what can be done internally to achieve their Emiratisation quota and avoid fines.

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Challenges

Wright stressed that companies must focus on their Emiratisation employer branding, online branding, as well as the hiring process itself.

“In some cases, there is quite a gap here and UAE nationals are recognising this. Emirati candidates want to work somewhere where they can make a difference, work hard, and learn — not to be counted as a quota or number,” she added.

Highlighting challenges for firms, Gandhi said that for specialised and experienced senior roles, the talent pool is small while competition is high.

“Communicating employer brand and value proposition will be key to attracting the right Emirati talent,” said Gandhi.

• Jobs
• UAE