SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT - UAE Interact

218U N I T E D A R A B E M I R AT E S Y E A R B O O K 2 0 0 8Emiratisation targetsremain the mostpromising means ofcreating newemployment forcitizens.same time, UAE nationals account for a very small percentage ofthe total workforce in the private sector, while private sectoremployment accounts for over 50 per cent of jobs in the UAE.The creation of job opportunities for national graduates in theprivate sector is, therefore, crucial.Emiratisation, i.e. government intervention in the form ofemployment quotas for nationals in certain sectors, is consideredto be essential, not only to provide much-needed employmentfor nationals, but in order to build the nation’s knowledge economyand to ensure that UAE nationals serve as the key drivers ofeconomic growth and development.As the Abu Dhabi Executive Council Policy Agenda points out,despite somewhat mixed results, the imposition of sector-wideEmiratisation targets remains the most promising means of creatingnew employment opportunities for citizens. Since 1999, and asa result of Government-imposed targets, participation by UAEcitizens in the banking sector rose by 300 per cent from roughly1200 UAE employees to over 4700, with citizens accounting forroughly 26.4 per cent of the banking sector workforce in 2005.A similar strategy in the insurance sector was less successful,yielding only a 5.3 per cent rate of UAE national participation.Surveys of potential job seekers found that a combination offactors, including perceptions of the sector, remuneration andwork practices, made the latter sector less attractive to nationaljob seekers.Abu Dhabi government intends to support the further evolutionand extension of such strategies to generate suitable employmentopportunities for UAE citizens. Government entities will alsomake Emiratisation goals a standard requirement in the awardingof major contracts (e.g. oil and gas contracts, power-generationcontracts and major defence procurements).Organisations such as the Abu Dhabi Council for Emiratisationand The Emirates National Development Programme are trainingnationals for the labour market in accordance with marketdemand, at the same time building partnerships with UAE privatesector firms for recruitment and long-term retention of nationals.