Choosing to work for a smaller start-up rather than a larger national corporation can improve your skills and make sure your ideas are heard. This is the message of some recent Emirati graduates who are starting out on their career paths.
“A small company is actually better because it will give me room to develop and grow,” said Aisha Al Mahrizi, 24, who graduated from Sharjah University in 2022 with a degree in radio and television, and is looking for a job.
“I don't mind working anywhere and doing anything but I would prefer working in my field. I don't mind working in production and would like to be a television presenter,” added Ms Al Mahrizi who lives in Sharjah and has interned at Abu Dhabi TV.
She has applied to Nafis – the Emirati Talent competitiveness council aimed at increasing Emiratisation in the private sector – to aid her employment search. Nafis' platform can help train and find jobs for Emiratis.
On Tuesday, the UAE government announced new Emiratisation rules that mean businesses employing between 20 and 49 people must have at least one Emirati staff member by the end of 2024, and two by the end of 2025.
The rules, which aim to increase the number of Emiratis in private sector jobs, had previously only applied to businesses with at least 50 employees.
It comes a month after a survey found that nearly two thirds of Emirati graduates were interested in joining the private sector.
The survey, called “The Retention Riddle How to keep Emirati talent in the private sector”, found that interest in joining the private sector is strong among the younger Emirati generation (61 per cent), while two thirds of those currently working in private companies are considering a return to the public sector.
It polled 500 citizens working in the private and public sectors, as well as new graduates entering the workplace.
Importance of starting small
Abdulla Al Samahi, 26, started working for a start-up last year after graduating from Abu Dhabi Polytechnic.
The cyber security and network engineer works at a digital marketing company that has fewer than 30 employees.
“I’ve always believed that to develop, career-wise, you have to have some exposure to private companies because of many factors such as their work ethics, the fast pace, the dynamics, the need to deliver – those were my selling points,” he said.
“Sadly Emiratis always look for bigger companies,” he said. He described a “taboo ideology” around working to for start-ups.
Another deterrent, he said, was job security.
“There is this idea that a government job offers more job security than a start-up. I don’t think that should be a factor when deciding where to work, you’re as valuable anywhere as your work ethic.”
In 2021, officials announced an investment of Dh24 billion to create 75,000 new private sector jobs for UAE citizens.
A year later, the country's leaders said they wanted 75,000 Emiratis to enter the private sector workforce over the next four years.
With nearly 80,000 Emiratis having joined the private sector as of this month, the initial target has been surpassed, showing huge growth within the sector.
Less red tape, more atmosphere
A common reason for working at smaller companies is that they have less red tape, and a more energetic, often younger, workforce.
That was the case for Shaikha Al Shamsi, 23, who began working for a start-up three months ago.
The UAE University mass communications graduate says it is the best decision she ever made.
“With a small company, I can literally see myself grow and develop. My ideas are heard and taken into account, unlike big companies where you can get lost in bureaucracy.”
“We are all young and passionate about what we do. It feels like we are running with time. We want to see things done quickly, we are excited and motivated. There are no generation gaps or miscommunications and every idea is heard and built on. This is what it is like working for a start-up,” she said.
“Few people would turn down working for a large company for working for a start-up but I would any day. This is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I wouldn't trade it for anything,” she said.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BMW%20M4%20Competition
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
T20 World Cup Qualifier
Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets
Qualified teams
1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman
T20 World Cup 2020, Australia
Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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The details
Colette
Director: Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Keira Knightley, Dominic West
Our take: 3/5
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
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Company%20Profile
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
