Here's a really interesting article by Sean O'Driscoll in the Abu Dhabi 7 Days. It brings up some really insightful and important points in regards to employment and perception among young Emiratis. What jumped out to me was the thought that maybe the Emiratis, much like the Americans, are a victim of their own success. In the fall semester I constantly tweaked my students with the notion that the US is actually the 8th emirate, or that maybe the UAE is the 51st state. In all sorts of odd ways we are more alike than most folks would ever imagine.
Working for a firm in the private sector would be "stupid" and expats "cannot be trusted." Just some of the views of Emiratis interviewed in a new study into the attitudes of young UAE nationals towards working in the private sector. Young people like these male graduates represent a big bottleneck in the UAE economy, according to the study.
Ninety-eight per cent of Emiratis have government jobs and the pay and working conditions are so good that few want to work for private companies. It is, according to the new study by researchers from the Business and Economics facility of UAE University in Al Ain, almost impossible for private companies to match the pay of government jobs.
This is a problem the UAE government has been seeking to correct for some time. A few months ago, it held a jobs fair in Abu Dhabi in an attempt to wean Emiratis off the massive and costsly government sector. Not only is it a big drain on the public purse, it's also stifling the UAE's ability to compete - where are the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates of the UAE going to come from if Emiratis are far happier in comfortable government jobs?
The UAE University research, funded by the Emirates Foundation, found that young Emiratis had huge salary expections and their view of what they should earn in companies was "unrealistic at best." Thirty percent of them expect a salary of Dhs 25,000 (gs - $6806 per month; $81,672 per year) or more, while another 10 per cent expect a whopping Dhs 35,000 (gs - $9259 per month; $114,348 per year) to Dhs 50,000 (gs - $13,612 per month; $163,344 per year) per month.
The survey of 30 Emirati men and 30 Emirati women aged 18 to 23 (average age 21) found that they had "uncompromising" views on working for private companies, which one young woman said would be "signing my death warrant" because of the longer working hours and lower pay than in government jobs.
The authors recommend a better balance between government and private sector wages to encourage young Emiratis to try working for private companies.
One male graduate quizzed in the study said he thought it was his right to have a well-paid job. He said, "We are a rich country - thank God - and the government pays well because it can afford to do so. "It is our right as nationals to have jobs that pay so well."
So what do Emiratis think of the research? Is it fair and do they want to change the system? "It's true and there needs to be change for boys," says Amina Al Suwaidi who has one boy and one girl, both under the age of five. "The boys need to be pushed into the private sector and come up with new things, new ideas. But for my daughter, like all mothers here, I want her to have a good company job so she will not be under pressure and can look after her own children."
So the report is accurate? "Yes, it is time for change, but not for the girls," she said. "They need more time off and more stability so that their children are not raised by maids. But for the boys, it is time to take over and learn new things. Change there can only be a good thing."
Wages Are Not Enough To Get Youth Working:
Young people in UAE demand big bucks for private sector jobs
Working for a firm in the private sector would be "stupid" and expats "cannot be trusted." Just some of the views of Emiratis interviewed in a new study into the attitudes of young UAE nationals towards working in the private sector. Young people like these male graduates represent a big bottleneck in the UAE economy, according to the study.
Ninety-eight per cent of Emiratis have government jobs and the pay and working conditions are so good that few want to work for private companies. It is, according to the new study by researchers from the Business and Economics facility of UAE University in Al Ain, almost impossible for private companies to match the pay of government jobs.
This is a problem the UAE government has been seeking to correct for some time. A few months ago, it held a jobs fair in Abu Dhabi in an attempt to wean Emiratis off the massive and costsly government sector. Not only is it a big drain on the public purse, it's also stifling the UAE's ability to compete - where are the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates of the UAE going to come from if Emiratis are far happier in comfortable government jobs?
The UAE University research, funded by the Emirates Foundation, found that young Emiratis had huge salary expections and their view of what they should earn in companies was "unrealistic at best." Thirty percent of them expect a salary of Dhs 25,000 (gs - $6806 per month; $81,672 per year) or more, while another 10 per cent expect a whopping Dhs 35,000 (gs - $9259 per month; $114,348 per year) to Dhs 50,000 (gs - $13,612 per month; $163,344 per year) per month.
The survey of 30 Emirati men and 30 Emirati women aged 18 to 23 (average age 21) found that they had "uncompromising" views on working for private companies, which one young woman said would be "signing my death warrant" because of the longer working hours and lower pay than in government jobs.
The authors recommend a better balance between government and private sector wages to encourage young Emiratis to try working for private companies.
One male graduate quizzed in the study said he thought it was his right to have a well-paid job. He said, "We are a rich country - thank God - and the government pays well because it can afford to do so. "It is our right as nationals to have jobs that pay so well."
So what do Emiratis think of the research? Is it fair and do they want to change the system? "It's true and there needs to be change for boys," says Amina Al Suwaidi who has one boy and one girl, both under the age of five. "The boys need to be pushed into the private sector and come up with new things, new ideas. But for my daughter, like all mothers here, I want her to have a good company job so she will not be under pressure and can look after her own children."
So the report is accurate? "Yes, it is time for change, but not for the girls," she said. "They need more time off and more stability so that their children are not raised by maids. But for the boys, it is time to take over and learn new things. Change there can only be a good thing."
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