Dubai: Emirati students and future job seekers need to diversify the subjects they pursue in higher education in order to be more attractive to private sector recruiters, a senior executive said on Monday.
Younis Al Mulla, senior vice president of development at Majid Al Futtaim (MAF) Retail, spoke to Gulf News on Monday on the first day of the 12th annual Careers UAE exhibition in Dubai.
The education, training and recruitment exhibition kicked off at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre and was inaugurated by Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
"The problem we face at such fairs is that the majority of candidates, maybe about 85 per cent, are bachelor graduates of business administration," Al Mulla said. "It is rare to find someone specialised in marketing, a technical skill or IT for example."
This is why private sector companies such as MAF Holding are now partnering with universities and schools. He added such partnerships help send out the correct message to the youth and future job seekers of what skills are in demand in the job market.
"Today, private is almost like government employment in terms of packages, salaries and retirement plans…what Emiratis get in government jobs, they can now get in the private sector," he said.
Such sentiments ring true with job seekers. Asma Al Shamsi, 26, has been unemployed for three years after having left a job in the private sector to seek employment in the public sector. She graduated with a higher diploma in general business from the Higher Colleges of Technology and said she has witnessed increased competition among Emirati job seekers.
‘Much competition'
"I think too many locals are trying to get a job, which means there is too much competition, but fresh graduates seem to be more attractive to employers," she said. "I've witnessed that Emiratis are now looking for jobs in the private sector, maybe simply because there are more jobs available."
However, younger job seekers such as Mera Abdullah Al Jabri, 19, who is a business student at Dubai Women's College, still finds landing a job a gruelling process. Mera has visited Careers UAE for the past three years with no luck. She is in search of a private sector job in the field of event management.
"We come here, give employers our CVs and they say they will call back, but nobody does," she said. So, what seems to be the point of such a recruitment event when there is an apparent disconnect between recruiters and job seekers?
"I think this is just a show, an event that happens every year and they have to do it," Mera said. "Even if employers don't accept or employ candidates, they must participate."
