A government initiative driving efforts to grow Emirati participation in the private sector has helped to increase the local workforce by more than 50,000 since its launch two years ago.
The UAE's Nafis programme was introduced in September 2021 with a mission to ensure 10 per cent of all jobs in the private sector were taken up by citizens by the end of 2026, as part of a major Emiratisation push.
More than 82,000 Emiratis are now employed outside of the public sector – up 52,000 since the start of the campaign, Nafis said.
The latest figures represent a significant rise on the 50,228 citizens employed in the sector at the end of 2022.
Nafis said it had created 32,000 job opportunities for Emiratis since its inception.
The federal body stated that 17,000 companies have hired Emiratis, while 61,000 citizens have benefited from monthly financial support programmes in place to encourage more workers to join the private sector.
Under the programme, Emiratis working in the sector are entitled to salary top-ups as they would typically earn more in the public sector.
Encouraging local talent
The UAE wants Emiratis to play a significant role in the private sector, which remains a driving force for economic development.
Companies must increase their Emirati workforce by 1 per cent every six months as part of the nationwide push.
Employers in the UAE with at least 50 members of staff are expected to meet a 4 per cent target by the end of the year.
The Emirati employment rate will increase to 6 per cent in 2024, 8 per cent in 2025 and 10 per cent in 2026.
In July, the UAE announced that companies with 20 to 49 employees would be required to fill a quota for the first time, hiring at least one Emirati in 2024 and another by 2025.
Heavy fines have been imposed on companies and people seeking to manipulate the government-set targets to avoid financial penalties.
This week, thousands of Emirati jobseekers attended a major job fair hoping to secure employment in Dubai.
More than 100 firms were present at the Ru'ya 2023 Careers UAE Redefined event at Dubai World Trade Centre on Tuesday.
Firms that attended included Citi Bank, Dubai Police and Etisalat.
Watch: Ru'ya, UAE Careers Redefined, has opened at Dubai World Trade Centre
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
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