Leafing through the classified ads and reading online posts, discrimination in the job market is everywhere.
From restricting jobs to 25-year-old Filipinas to asking women educated in the West to attach full-length photos with their CVs. The blatant discrimination is seemingly the norm rather than the exception for many recruitment sites.
On Tuesday, the country’s labour ministry condemned any adverts that exclude job seekers from employment for those reasons in the “strongest possible terms”.
"Prejudicial discrimination has no place in the conditions of employment, nor in wider UAE society," Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Dr Omar Al Nuaimi, told The National.
His comments came in response to reports that a UAE nursery group was advertising for an English teacher of "European origin and white skin".
Yet the advert is just one of many posted on job boards across the country, and in indeed the region, that demonstrate blatant discrimination that is not only wide ranging, but varied — stipulating everything from the nationality, age and even appearance of the preferred candidate.
Industry experts, and social media users in the Emirates, agree that discrimination in recruitment adverts is all too common.
"There are loads of jobs advertised that specify gender and race here," wrote one reader on The National's Facebook page.
A quick scan of the UAE’s recruitment adverts reveals the scale of the problem.
In an echo of Happy Jump Nurseries’ post, Honey Bee Nursery, in Dubai, posted an advert on LinkedIn on Tuesday calling for a “Western Female early years teacher”.
Adverts specifying gender appear to be fairly common.
Nakuri Gulf has numerous adverts that call for either male or female applicants.
One, for an “experienced nurse” in the UAE asks for Filipino candidates aged below 35.
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Read more:
Job adverts must not specify gender or race, says UAE ministry
Advert for UAE nursery teacher with 'white skin' puts spotlight on race issues in job market
UAE companies losing out on good talent when posting discriminatory job adverts, recruiters say
National Editorial: Discrimination flies in the face of the UAE’s record of tolerance
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Numerous adverts suggest positions, from sales to engineering, are suitable for men only, while another post on LinkedIn for an in-house travel and event manager includes the "skill" of being 25 to 38 years old.
Some job ads not only specify gender, but include the preferred nationality of the candidate. An advert for a financial controller post on LinkedIn says being a “native English speaker, EU passport holder or Western educated are highly preferred”.
Appearance is important to recruiters of some positions too. An advert for hostesses and promoters ask that applicants send a recent full-length photograph with their CV.
And it is not just smaller companies that appear to discriminate.
One listing, posted on behalf of the Nestlé consulting group, for an electrician, calls for “excellent critical thinking and problem-solving ability”, and “two years’ experience in same field”. Only males need apply, it adds.
Another advert, posted on behalf of Microsoft Dynamics, for an AX Developer two weeks ago on LinkedIn specified that the post is open to a "Non-Asian" only.
According to Dubai law firm Clyde & Co, any offences against the law by committing an act that creates “any form of discrimination, by any means of expression” are punishable by a minimum prison sentence of five years and fines of between Dh500,000 and Dh1 million.
Any company that is found to discriminate on the basis of race, colour, gender, nationality and social origin is liable to be prosecuted under the terms of the law.
On The National's Facebook page, many applauded the confirmation from the ministry that such adverts are against the law, but some worry companies may still discriminate.
“It is good news but when it comes to selection process, or even interviews, there will be discrimination for sure,” one reader wrote.
Another, writing on a discussion about the topic on Reddit, suggested that the problem lay with recruiters.
“All this does is mean more CVs will just be ignored by recruiters when they check the nationality and gender,” they wrote.
“No, the problem is much deeper rooted than the recruiter’s desk,” replied another.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
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Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL
Al Nasr 2
(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)
Shabab Al Ahli 1
(Jaber 13)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
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Rating: 3.5/5
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
