Unemployed Emiratis turning down private sector jobs

The United Arab Emirates is facing an uphill battle in trying to convince Emiratis to join the private sector.

With better opportunities, higher wages, benefits and job security, many still prefer government jobs.

Said, an Emirati technical college graduate who has been looking for work for months says: "I would rather be unemployed than work in the private sector."

The private sector in the United Arab Emirates is mainly composed of large foreign companies, but government legislation compels these companies to hire five percent of their workforce from Emirati citizens.

But Said explains his refusal to work in the private sector by citing "long hours, low wages, not enough holiday time" and a lack of job security.

"You see the glamour of these large foreign companies on the outside, however if you were to delve deeper, you will discover there are negative aspects that we citizens cannot accept for many reasons, especially when the government alternative is available."

Limited numbers of government jobs

But government jobs are not limitless. An employee charged with registering jobseekers at one of the job fairs told al-Araby al-Jadeed that while all Emiratis who visited these job fairs request government jobs, "these jobs are limited and are subject to specific criteria".

"Government jobs require specific skills and abilities in addition to the university qualifications."

Emirati citizens make up approximately 11 percent of the 8,300,000 residents of the UAE.

Saif, another Emirati citizen who recently graduated from the College of Engineering in Ajman said he was looking for job security, which is not provided by companies in the private sector, who typically give two or three year contracts. Saif said that contracts were tied to projects "which end with the completion of the project".

Saif's colleague Salem who graduated from the same university, is planning to start his own interior design company. This is a third option for Emiratis. However, he was not that optimistic. 

"Getting started is difficult due to the requirements and laws that need to be met when starting a company on the one hand, and finding contracts on the other."

Even Emirati women prefer government jobs to working in the private sector. Nawf, another engineer said she preferred the longer holidays and shorter working hours.

"I think these are benefits preferred by all job seekers, whether in the UAE or any other country."

The Ministry of Labour is trying to encourage citizens to work in the private sector by developing private sector strategies and plans that would make the sector more attractive to Emirati citizens.

Strategies include icnreasing the number of locals that have to be employed in private companies and encouraging private companies to provide additional benefits such as those included in government jobs: end of service benefits and social and medical benefits.

Emirati citizens make up approximately 11 percent of the 8,300,000 residents of the UAE. The rest are foreign workers. Official statistics show that unemployment among Emiratis has recently reached 25 percent due to the drop in oil prices.

However, citizens still have a wide range of benefits including free government education and healthcare, housing assistance and other benefits not afforded to foreign workers.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.