ABU DHABI // Emiratis joining private companies need to adjust their expectations of salary and career progression, experts said yesterday.
About 60 per cent of nationals in the private sector have quit corporate jobs because of limited progress and the absence of mentors.
The figures, which were released on Saturday, were compiled by the Emirates Nationals Development Programme, a government-funded project aimed at integrating Emiratis into the private workforce.
Emiratis make up about four per cent of the private sector workforce, compared to 52 per cent of the public sector one.
"Even under ideal conditions there will not be enough jobs for locals in the private sector if some of the structural issues are not being addressed," said Dr Ingo Forstenlechner, an assistant professor at UAE University, who has conducted research into Emiratisation.
"The issues with the private sector are obvious. It's designed for nationals as investors," he said.
Career planning, for example, is not necessarily part of the private sector tradition, and the system is not equipped to handle permanent employment, he said.
Moreover, private sector jobs cannot match the salary and welfare benefits of the public sector.
Dr Forstenlechner said there was also a social element to retaining Emiratis. The large number of nationals in the public sector creates pressure to conform, often similar to the tendency for Arab families to favour medical or engineering degrees for their children.
There is a "social stigma" attached to private sector jobs.
Many Emiratis have few relatives working outside the public sector, he said. Also, the public sector offers comfortable working hours and job security, he said.
Mohamed al Neaimi, director of the Government's Tawteen initiative, said many young people lack the patience and endurance to progress through private companies.
"The private sector is organised, and when he joins even if he has experience, they begin with him from zero," said Mr al Neaimi. "This, of course, takes a long time. Our youth, some of them endure and some do not."
He said that if they had the patience, they would get through training programmes and progress enough to earn salaries rivalling those of the public sector.
"There are skills that the employee needs to get to reach the benefit," he said. "Be patient. Sure they want to get married and do other things, but the private sector also has investors, a board of directors, all these things and they need to deal with them."
For the most part, the private sector has clear career progression and mentoring systems, he said.
But it is important to distinguish between reasonable and unreasonable demands, said Dr Forstenlechner. It is not poor career progression if a person does not get promoted after three months, he said.
The private sector can better use Emiratis if they "listen to their needs, making them feel welcome and using them where they can really provide value" such as in dealings with the Government, he said.
The Government should also emphasise Emirati role models who are successful in the private sector.
Jamal al Mawed, 24, an Emirati at a private company in Dubai, said: "Performance is paramount when you work for a private company or multinational corporation and this pushes you to use your full potential to climb the career ladder.
"Many locals go from university straight into the public sector lured by big paycheques and shorter work hours, but in some cases this can encourage laziness and a sense of entitlement that does not benefit the UAE workforce.
"The solution is for the government to subsidise private companies the way Kuwait does, so they can match the salaries being given by the public sector and encourage more locals to cross over," he said.
@Email:kshaheen@thenational.ae
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How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
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Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
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