Thousands of Emirati graduates are unable to secure jobs, often being told they are either over or underqualified, members of the Federal National Council heard on Tuesday.
Ras Al Khaimah representative Salem Al Shehhi said he had received complaints from what he claimed were “thousands of Emiratis” unable to find jobs.
“When a master’s graduate applies for a job, they tell him ‘we want someone who only has a bachelor’s degree’”, he told the chamber.
“And when a university graduate applies they tell him ‘we wish you had only a high school degree’.”
Mr Al Shehhi also said that government ministries recruit now only if an employee dies, retires or resigns, “and this is the vision of the authorities until 2021”.
“So what was the point of studying? There are thousands of graduates, where can they go?”
The most recent unemployment figures for Emiratis are several years old, and members yesterday said the most up-to-date figures they were handed were from 2011, when unemployment among UAE nationals was 13 per cent.
Separate reports from Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, covering only that emirate, in 2014 placed it at 4 per cent.
“We have to make it clear that the hardest issue we face is when a local says he wants a job, wants to settle and get married, but it turns out to be his biggest challenge in life,” he told representatives from the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (Fahr).
“We don’t know what to tell them, some have been waiting for to find a job for three or four years. This has been leading to a delay in marriages and reproduction.”
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Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, the head of the authority, disputed that and said that “there will be more than 7,685 job vacancies next year”.
“The role of the authority is to support and preserve jobs for thousands of nationals in federal governments,” he said. “When I became minister of higher education we had the highest percentage of vacancies at the ministry,” he said in reference to his previous position.
Mr Al Shehhi said the minister’s reply would not satisfy the people he represents.
“Today we already have thousands of jobless Emiratis, imagine how many we will have by 2021,” he said.
“You are creating a trend of unemployment, the 7,000 vacancies do not mean much when compared to the number of graduates.”
According to figures presented by an FNC committee, last year 8,000 non-Emirati employees (10 per cent of the total expatriate workforce), filled administrative and financial posts in the federal government. Members said these jobs could have been filled by UAE nationals.
FNC member Marwan bin Ghlaitha, Dubai, questioned the accuracy of that figure, and member Saeed Al Remeithi, Abu Dhabi, said the correct figure for such posts probably exceeded 30,000.
The committee report also showed that Emiritisation rates dropped in 19 federal institutions last year by 38.3 per cent, but gave no specific numbers.
Mr Al Shehhi said there are Emiratis with very impressive resumes “who should have been hired without even being interviewed, but unfortunately the reality is the contrary”.
Sharjah member Ayesha bin Samnoh agreed that she met many impressive female graduates who were stuck at home after failing to find a job.
“Every graduate tells of a tragedy, some have been graduates for one or two or three years, and they had to stay at home, and they all graduated with high grades, but all of the job interviews they did required experience.”
She proposed training programmes for them to get the experience required by recruiters.
“The authority is not responsible for training nationals to enter the job market, but to recruit them in the authority we do not require they have experience, we welcome fresh graduates,” the minister said.
Moreover, he said there has been a suggestion to create a fund that trains Emiratis though the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, “and many jobs at the federal government do not require experience”.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
