Number of Emiratis working in gov't passes 50%

The proportion of Emiratis working in the UAE's federal government sector increased to 53 percent last year, state media reported. According to a study by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, with the exception of the ministry of interior, diplomatic and judicial corps, the rates in the federal government sector rose from 47 percent in 2010, reported state news agency WAM. In addition, the number of nationals working in federal bodies increased to 36 percent from 34 percent during the same period. Emiratisation is the UAE government's policy of increasing the number of UAE nationals working in both the public and private sector. During a meeting of Gulf state's the Ministerial Council for Services, it was agreed that quotas for Emiratisation would be set for each government department, depending on the number of UAE nationals they currently employ. Government entities will be stratified by those that have achieved more than 80 percent of Emiratisation, by those that have reached 60 percent to 80 percent and those that have less than 60 percent nationals working for them. Based on this classification, the government will define necessary measures that each entity should implement, including annual plans for Emiratisation quota, targeted jobs, training programmes and replacement staff. A recent study showed that the vast majority of Emiratis prefer working in the public sector. Two thirds of UAE nationals currently employed are actively seeking better job opportunities, while nearly half of those unemployed have been looking for a job for more than 12 months, the survey, conducted by Informa Exhibitions, showed. The survey said that the public sector still remains the most preferred workplace option for UAE nationals, with 90 percent of respondents indicating a preferral to work in government organisations. The most common reasons for a public sector preference were higher salaries, better working hours, more job security, and the perception that public sector organisations would treat them better than organisations in the private sector. Comments made by respondents in the survey indicated many feel a patriotic duty to serve their country, though the majority agreed that for experience and skills development, the private sector trumps. It also showed that out of a total of 365 respondents, almost half (45 percent) were unemployed. By Arabian Business