DUBAI (Al Jazeera) – With foreign workers making up the bulk of private sector jobs in the United Arab Emirates, the Persian Gulf’s second-largest economy wants to boost opportunities for its own citizens.
The UAE – like other oil and gas-rich Arab states – has often used the public sector as an employment vehicle for its nationals.
But times are changing, said 34-year-old Emirati researcher Khalifa al-Suwaidi, who has himself been looking for a private sector job since quitting a government post in June.
Just 12 percent of the country’s more than nine million residents are UAE nationals, with at least 90 percent of private sector jobs taken by foreigners, according to International Labour Organization figures.
Al-Suwaidi, author of a forthcoming book titled The UAE After the Arab Spring, said he believed some employers overlooked his application because they presumed an Emirati would demand the high wages often paid in lucrative government posts.
“The private sector needs to be more accommodating,” he said. “I’ve been applying for jobs for a while to no avail.”
The government is now strong-arming private firms into hiring locals, with the aim of ensuring Emiratis make up 10 percent of the private sector workforce by 2026.
Next month, firms with more than 50 employees that fail to fill two percent of their skilled jobs with Emiratis face being fined.
That has sparked a hiring drive, with recruiters noting a “flood of vacancies” from companies – many of which will not be able to meet their targets.
“It’s going to be a tough run,” said Hamza Zaouali, the founder of recruitment agency Iris Executives, but noting it was “not possible” for the UAE government to keep growing and hiring.
“The more sustainable way is to make sure the economy continuously absorbs, trains and works with Emiratis,” Zaouali said.