At a job fair just about two years ago, a 32-year-old divorced mother was desperate for a job. She told career counsellors that she would be happy to settle for a monthly salary of Dh5,000 in the hospitality sector if it meant that she could support her children.
"My family has taken care of me, but now I am fed up and willing to do anything to get a job," the mother of five said on condition of anonymity.
Many might be surprised to learn that this woman, who was in such tough circumstances and determined to find work, was Emirati. But this is really no cause for surprise. As we have noted before in these pages, stereotypes about Emiratis in the workplace are not only often wrong, but are always harmful to society as a whole.
It is true, however, that integrating Emiratis into the private workforce is proving a difficult job for government. As The National reported yesterday, only one in 50 private-sector workers is Emirati according to a new study by TCO Management Consulting. Those results prompted Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a professor of political science at UAE University in Al Ain, to say that Emiratisation had "utterly failed".
Prof Abdulla takes the right approach by facing the problem in unflinching terms. As a society-wide programme, Emiratisation faces major challenges; at a personal level, however, it is easy to find people who have "Emiratised" very successfully by their own initiative.
By now, the complaints of job-seekers and employers alike are very familiar. Many Emiratis say there are not enough good jobs in the private sector and, worse, they are discriminated against because of cultural stereotypes. Some employers say that not enough Emiratis are qualified for the jobs on offer.
The reality is that, for many companies, Emiratisation has been a quota-filling exercise. Lifelong employment could be - and should be in the UAE, given this country's advantages - a matter of vocation, not just filling an empty desk. Part of the answer here is early vocational training programmes and internships that can both inculcate skills and give career-seekers a better idea what they are interested in and what they are good at.
A bigger picture is also emerging. Career choices can be limited, in part by salary expectations and cultural issues, but also by the scope of the economy. As the national project of economic diversification gains ground, so too will the breadth of career opportunities. People need to be able to find their jobs, not be assigned to them.
The UAE took decades to build the oil-and-gas industry, which came first in national development for obvious reasons. But in the future, the job market must also serve divorced mothers interested in the hospitality industry.
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
THE%20SWIMMERS
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5