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Steps to boost national workforce explained

DUBAI — Fundamental changes in the way nationals are educated and trained, as well as in the human resources approach of the public and private sectors can significantly reduce unemployment rate among nationals, explains Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Economy, during the Dubai Knowledge Village Training and Human Resources Breakfast Club meeting yesterday.

She said this would ensure a long-term sustainable workforce and a healthy UAE economy.

Speaking on the topic "Attracting and Retaining Nationals in the GCC Region," Shaikha Lubna said that "the mission of any nationalisation drive, whether in the Gulf states or elsewhere, is to maximise the career opportunities for citizens of that country to create a sustainable workforce."

She added that the key factor to national economic development is not great infrastructures or excellent telecommunication but human capital investment. "I'm talking about the issue of recruiting and retaining qualified staff. Across the UAE's economic landscape, there is currently a 'war for talent' in which companies of all sizes and from every industry compete for staff who will make their business more viable and competitive. At the very same time, up to 13,000 university graduates are ready to enter the workforce annually, and there are 1000's of unemployed UAE nationals as we speak,” Shaikha Lubna said.

She mentioned that currently, the UAE population is comprised of 85% expatriates and only 15% nationals, which is the highest ratio of foreign workers in the wider Gulf region. In addition, the UAE's work force is further skewed to the expatriates with the ratio of 90.7% foreign workers and 9.3% nationals. Of the employable base of UAE nationals, more than 88% are working in the public sector, with 56% of Emirati men in either the military or police services.

"The private sector holds the key to Emiratization - it's where the jobs are. So in addition to the excellent educational opportunities that we offer our national students, we must also create a culture of 'on the job' experience. The practice of internships or work experience for educational credit is not a new one, yet it has had limited deployment here in the UAE," Shaikha Lubna noted.

Through internship programmes, she added, "UAE nationals are given a practical taste of different industries and jobs and helps to dispel any misperceptions that private sector companies may have about UAE national graduates — that they don't want to work or are not qualified or committed to hard work."

She likewise stressed that the country needs to offer educational programmes that are more tailored to the actual industry sectors that exhibit sufficient growth like the hotel, construction, education and tourism industries. With this she also noted that as early as the high school years, students need to know the economically viable careers so they can choose a course of study that will make them employable.

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