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Discuss this article (2 Comments)Youth preference for gov't jobs 'is a disaster' - official
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Wednesday, 10 March 2010
YOUTH LEADER: Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, chairman of the Young Arab Leaders UAE Chapter. (ITP IMAGES)
Research showing that 61 percent of Arab youth in the UAE would prefer to work in the government sector is “a disaster” and the government cannot absorb that many Emiratis, a Dubai-based youth leader has told Arabian Business.
On Sunday, the second annual Arab Youth Survey, which was carried out in October last year and involved face-to-face interviews with 2,000 Arab youths in nine countries, found that 46 percent of young Arabs would prefer to get a job in the government sector. [Click here to view the key findings of the Arab Youth Survey]
In the UAE, the rate was even higher, with 61 percent saying they hoped for a job in the government sector and only 31 percent preferring to go into the private sector.
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, chairman of the Young Arab Leaders UAE Chapter, said “it is a disaster that more people want to work in the public sector.”
“I think more and more nationals are encouraged to work in the public sector, which is bad news and the government cannot absorb all these Emiratis.
“They need to encourage them to go and find work in the private sector or become entrepreneurs,” he added.
Al Qassemi believes it is the job security, shorter working hours and higher salaries in the public sector that attracts youths to government jobs.
“The government needs to step back and let people find their own way and not direct them to the public sector,” he added.
The lack of entrepreneurship in the UAE was also highlighted earlier this year in the latest Silatech Index, a yearly research initiative set up in 2009 by the Qatari First Lady Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned and which surveyed more than 40,000 15 to 29-year-olds across 21 Arab countries about their attitudes to the work and the economy.
The index found that only 19 percent of Emiratis were planning to start up their own businesses in the next twelve months, compared to 30 percent in Saudi and an average across the region of 27 percent. Those surveyed said that high level of red tape and a lack of available finance were the biggest obstacles to them setting up their own business in the UAE.
This lack of financing is a major issue at present, Al Qassemi said. He pointed out that the majority of entrepreneurs have to resort to borrowing from family members in order to finance their enterprises. He added that the UAE government needs to do something to free up funds for young entrepreneurs if they want to tackle unemployment and to encourage them into the private sector.
The ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey also found that 43 percent of young Arabs consider unemployment to be a concern for them at the moment and it ranked third over on the list of concerns, behind the rising cost of living and a shortage of affordable housing.
The results come as it was announced this month that Dubai’s department of finance has ordered government departments to cut spending this year by 15 percent to reduce the size of the emirate’s planned $1.6bn deficit.
“These are cost efficiency measures announced as a follow up to the most recent stated budget - the stated budget remains unchanged,” she said. It is not known if these cuts will impact job levels in Dubai’s public sector.
READERS' COMMENTS
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it all depend on the cost of failing
Posted by realitysole on Wednesday 10 March 2010 at 13:02 UAE time
goverment will never be able to overcome these problems unless they change some fundumental laws , the cost of failing for enterpreneur is too high in the UAE and in most of the case it mean ending up in jail or destroying the families saving and life , unless a new buncrupcy law is issued ,new cheques rules and new regulation that limit the effect and distraction of the comercial default and disputes ,
unless all those issue are handed through civil courts instead of creminal , the problem of the UAE national will remain and evolve into a real desaster.
the cost of failing in private business is extreemly high and any wise person can see it and prefer to choose safer option such as public jobs .
Posted by realitysole on Wednesday 10 March 2010 at 13:02 UAE time
goverment will never be able to overcome these problems unless they change some fundumental laws , the cost of failing for enterpreneur is too high in the UAE and in most of the case it mean ending up in jail or destroying the families saving and life , unless a new buncrupcy law is issued ,new cheques rules and new regulation that limit the effect and distraction of the comercial default and disputes ,
unless all those issue are handed through civil courts instead of creminal , the problem of the UAE national will remain and evolve into a real desaster.
the cost of failing in private business is extreemly high and any wise person can see it and prefer to choose safer option such as public jobs .
ermm
Posted by Stephen Ives, London on Wednesday 10 March 2010 at 11:49 UAE time
"Al Qassemi believes it is the job security, shorter working hours and higher salaries in the public sector that attracts youths to government jobs."
Well I guess those three reasons are sound enough. Perhaps if Government salaries weren't so high (like in every other country in the world) it might encourage the odd bloke to get out of his comfort zone and go and try and accomplish something with his life. The Gulf Governments' policy of molly-coddling its citizens is not a viable long-term solution and could end up doing more harm than good.
Posted by Stephen Ives, London on Wednesday 10 March 2010 at 11:49 UAE time
"Al Qassemi believes it is the job security, shorter working hours and higher salaries in the public sector that attracts youths to government jobs."
Well I guess those three reasons are sound enough. Perhaps if Government salaries weren't so high (like in every other country in the world) it might encourage the odd bloke to get out of his comfort zone and go and try and accomplish something with his life. The Gulf Governments' policy of molly-coddling its citizens is not a viable long-term solution and could end up doing more harm than good.
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