More than 8,500 Emiratis have benefitted from career counselling to help them find roles within the private sector.
The counselling took place from January to May of this year, as part of a government scheme to bolster local employment in the private sector.
“The career counselling aims to enhance skills and competitiveness among UAE nationals, in line with labour market requirements,” said Ahmad Al Nasser, Assistant Undersecretary for National Human Resources Development with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.
More than 4,250 Emiratis were part of personalised counselling programmes, focusing on securing a suitable job, developing personal competencies, writing up their CV, job interview skills and general guidance on the requirements of the private sector.
Another cluster of 3,300 Emiratis were involved in learning about how to develop personal and professional skills, career planning, job stability and competency development, as well as adapting to the workplace, time management and coping with stress.
There were group sessions involving 990 Emiratis which included a section on how to enjoy your work.
The counselling courses took place as almost 68,000 Emiratis are now employed in the country's private sector, according to figures released last month.
Those figures represented an increase of more than a third so far this year.
The same figures showed that 17,000 UAE citizens had joined the private sector.
The UAE has a plan in place to ensure 10 per cent of private sector employees are Emirati by the start of 2027.
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Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed chair the National Competitiveness Council. New figures show 50,000 Emiratis now work in the UAE's private sector - a rise of more than 28,000 in one year. Photo: UAE Government Media Office -
As of January 2023, companies in the UAE must ensure that 2 per cent of their workforce is Emirati. This will rise by 1 per cent every six months until it is 10 per cent. Freezone companies are exempt. Christopher Pike / Bloomberg -
Semi-government owned companies such as Strata, which makes aircraft parts, are major employers of Emiratis. The government wants more privately-owned companies to hire Emiratis. Photo: Mubadala -
Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said a greater mix of Emiratis and foreign talent will make the country more competitive. Victor Besa / The National -
Young Emiratis are being urged to look to the private sector for opportunities and away from traditional jobs in government. Satish Kumar / The National
