UAE minister sees drop in expat worker numbers

Expatriate numbers in the UAE could drop due to lower levels of recruitment and job creation in the Gulf state, according to the Minister of Labour.

A slowdown in the number of workers arriving in the UAE at the same time as a slight rise in those leaving following completion of projects they were brought in to work on was expected, said Saqr Ghobash.

Recruitment and job creation was expected to continue at lower rates than those in the previous two years, he said in comments published by news agency WAM on Wednesday.

But it was not anticipated that unemployment rates would increase among the UAE workforce, the majority of whom were expatriates, Ghobash said during a speech in Geneva, Switzerland.

“It is also expected that access by UAE citizens to the job market in the private sector will be faced with some challenges, given the fact that dwindling growth rates will limit the creation of lucrative job opportunities in this sector,” he said.

The ministry had taken steps to better protect employees by encouraging greater flexibility in the jobs market and protecting those sectors of the workforce that were more prone to redundancies by ensuring their salaries and end-of-service benefits were fully paid, he said.

It had also offered support and training to unemployed UAE citizens, he said.

“We are, at the same time, fully aware of the need to prepare the job market for the post-crisis period,” he continued.

“Despite the difficulties, we see this crisis as an opportunity to reconsider the priorities of national economies, including our own national economy. We should move ahead with developing value-added economic sectors in accordance with our federal government's strategy.”

He said the government should focus on developing small and medium-sized enterprises to create job opportunities for citizens and attract skilled foreign labour.

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