Gov't investigates lack of Emiratisation in public sector

PUBLIC PROBE: Sheikh Mohammed has ordered an investigation into the poor levels of Emiratis employed in the public sector. (AFP)

Poor progress within the public sector at attracting Emirati employees is to be investigated by a government backed team, it was reported on Wednesday.

The team has been assembled on the orders of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who expressed his displeasure at the lack of Emiratisation in state-run organisations at a meeting of federal ministries on Monday.
 
The team will work to identify why nationals are not being employed in the public sector and draw up a strategy to tackle the issue, according to the state news agency WAM.

At Monday’s meeting Sheikh Mohammed noted “that the emiratisation level did not exceed 54 percent in ministries and 25 percent in federal authorities”, the news agency reported.

He went on to specifically criticised the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs for the poor training on offer to its employees, which amounted to just six hours per worker.
 
An agency was needed to instill better work values in staff that would boost job satisfaction, Sheikh Mohammed added.

However, he said there were beacons of excellence, singling out the Ministry of Public Works and the Sheikh Zayed Housing Project as the best performers.

Earlier this month a study by UAE University in Al Ain into emiratisation concluded that there was simply not enough incentive on the public sector to hire nationals over expatriates.

Study author, Dr Ingo Forstenlechner, assistant professor at the college of business and economics, said: “In general we know the issue is about compensation, education and training,” according to UAE daily The National.

Salary expectations also had to be lowered, he added, claiming: “It would make Emiratis more competitive.”

Another stuffy by the University in to young people’s attitudes among young people towards job seeking also found that most of the Emiratis questioned had little confidence in their ability to thrive in private companies.

They were “overwhelmed” at the thought of competing for jobs against applicants from all over the world, the research showed.

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