UAE Projects of the 50: Majid Al Futtaim to hire 3,000 Emiratis in five years

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Dubai - UAE nationals currently account for three per cent of the MAF's 13,700 employees in the country.

By Team KT

Published: Sat 18 Sep 2021, 3:49 PM

Last updated: Sat 18 Sep 2021, 3:51 PM

Retail giant Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) will be hiring 3,000 Emiratis over the next five years, in support of the government’s new local talent enhancement programme Nafis.

As part of the Projects of the 50 initiatives, officials last week unveiled ‘Nafis’, a federal programme that will encourage 75,000 Emiratis to work in the private sector in the next five years. It aims to increase the number of UAE nationals in the sector from 2 per cent to 10 per cent.

Emirati nationals who wish to join MAF under the Nafis programme can apply at the dedicated web page https://www.majidalfuttaim.com/en/explore-jobs#nafis-programme

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Currently accounting for three per cent of the total 13,700 employees in the UAE, Emiratisation at MAF is ahead of the programme’s first-year target of two percent and on track to meet its second-year goals.

Alain Bejjani, CEO of MAF, said: “There have been commendable efforts over the years to create more opportunities for UAE nationals within the public and private sectors. The Nafis programme announced by the UAE Government will make careers in the private sector even more attractive to young Emiratis, whose contributions are crucial to building a sustainable future.

Employing local talent is a priority at MAF, Bejjani said, “and we view it as a competitive advantage that is integral to our long-term success”.

MAF’s commitment to developing local talent across its markets has seen some of the best and brightest Emiratis appointed to senior leadership roles across its 18 shopping malls in the UAE.

In addition to talent development programmes that ensure opportunities for continuous learning, the company’s human capital strategy also focuses on recruiting, developing and promoting new local talent.

The company’s Tomouhi Graduate Programme is centred on a train-to-hire process for young Emirati graduates looking for the first step in building their careers.

Such initiatives enable MAF to continually invest in the communities in which it operates.

The firm will roll out several other programmes aimed at attracting Emiratis to join the private sector. These include training modules and bespoke learning curriculums to build expertise in a number of areas, including customer experience and data and analytics, as well as job shadowing, coaching and mentorship.