Emiratis throng Abu Dhabi job fair

Abu Dhabi: Over 26,000 Emirati men and women pre-registered for the Tawdheef recruitment show being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre with high hopes.

Exhibitors representing the public sector attracted maximum job aspirants. The sheer number of job applications with the representatives of public departments reflects the popularity of government jobs amongst local job-seekers.

Mariam Saeed, a recruitment supervisor at the State Security Department (SSD), told Gulf News that over 500 job-seekers had expressed interest in joining the wing.

"As a government institution, we are keen to help Emirati citizens find jobs. It's the government's responsibility to provide employment opportunities for our citizens and support them in their search for jobs. We accept candidates from all disciplines," she said.

Demand for HR jobs

An official from the Directorate of Human Resources at the government of Sharjah told Gulf News that jobs today have become very specialised as compared to a decade ago. With human resources evolving into a primordial sector in every institution, careers in this discipline have witnessed a significant demand over the past few years.

"Over 1,000 have shown interest in joining human resources. A large percentage of the candidates were female graduates. It makes us proud to see so many young women interested in this segment," he said.

Captain Sultan Al Shamsi from the Abu Dhabi Police headquarters noticed more women job-seekers at this edition of Tawdheef than previous years. "Over 600 visited our booth yesterday; most were women interested in civil jobs. The majority of the candidates were holding a high school diploma, and very few had a college degree," he said.

"Emiratis are attracted to government positions because of the good packages. They also see more job security and stability with the public sector," he added.

Radwan Madani, senior recruitment manager at Emal (a joint venture with Dubal and Mubadala), said there was little awareness among Emirati job-seekers about jobs in the private sector.

"Colleges have to educate students about the private sector, which actually offers job opportunities that are more adapted to their studies, especially in scientific fields like engineering," he said.

"Around 1,000 expressed interest in joining our company. Eighteen per cent of our company is UAE nationals. We are keen to provide young Emiratis employment opportunities," Madani added. Shaikha Al Zaheray, manager of Emiratisation, healthcare department at the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), said there were several positions available in healthcare for UAE nationals as well as appropriate training programmes to help them pursue a successful career.

More footfall

Captain Mubarak Al Mansouri at the Presidential Guard said there was an increase in attendance this year. "We have been very busy meeting with young men interested in joining the Presidential Guard. Over 1,000 have already filled applications, and most of them are high school diploma holders," he said.

Fareeda Engawi from the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority was not surprised that most Emiratis wanted to join the government sector.

"Some 1,000 showed up at our booth today. The public sector is more flexible and offers better salaries and bonuses in addition to a sense of job stability," she said.

Job appeal

The government sector seems to be far more appealing to young Emiratis than the private sector. Young Emiratis, especially those with lesser educational qualifications and limited work experience, seem keen to find jobs that provide security and good benefits.

These jobs are more abundant within the various government sectors.