Dubai: Emiratis of all ages looking for jobs at Careers UAE 2015 still prefer to approach public sector companies first before seeking employment in the private sector.
Shorter working hours, holiday entitlement, and the guaranteed retirement benefits the public sector offers remain the biggest draw for most of them.
However, a few also said that the salaries on offer in some public sector companies are not up to their expectations, which has led many jobseekers to opt for semi-government companies or other options.
These events, they said, helped ease the process of getting them to meet with prospective employers and get hired.
Faisal Al Mazroui, 25, from Dubai, who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, said he came to the fair with the goal of only applying to semi-government companies because the salaries offered are more appealing than the ones being offered in public sector companies.
‘Going really well’
“This is my second visit to the career fair and so far it’s going really well. I’m expecting all three semi-government companies I’ve applied to to contact me soon. One of the main reasons why I prefer semi-government companies is because their salaries are better and their working hours are not so long.”
Private sector companies, he believes, “have really long working hours and might go bankrupt, I’m trying to find [a job] where my retirement is guaranteed and I can get all benefits.”
Al Mazroui, said the career fair helped him get a temporary job last year, but now he’s trying to search for a permanent one.
Two of his friends, who also came job hunting, agreed with him about choosing semi-government companies over private and public sector companies.
Similarly, Abdul Aziz Al Sajwani, 21, from Sharjah, said, “it’s about picking between less working hours and a low salary or more working hours and a perfect salary.”
He’s trying to find something in the middle.
“For me, at this stage, since I’m about to graduate from university as a mechanical engineer, I’m trying to start a career linked to my major. The salary being offered matters the most, so hopefully, I’ll be called in for interviews and get hired. My brother has had a good experience with the fair and got his job through it,” said Al Sajwani.
Samya Hassan, who works in a bank but wants to look for a new job, complained about the pressure at work, the reason that drove her to visit the event and speak to as many employers as possible.
“[Work issues] have put a lot of pressure on me, especially when asked to work overtime. I’ve made up my mind that I will never consider anything other than the government sector. I’m not looking for a specific position or salary; I want a job which doesn’t leave me much to complain about, that’s all.”
Samya said the career fair offered many opportunities for Emiratis and the process of applying for a job was convenient.
Hamda Eisa, 22, who holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations is looking for a job in the government sector.
“It’s my first year here and I’m very satisfied with the way the application process is being handled. We are asked to register our details using an iPad next to the booths and they send a reference number to our email. We can call them later as a reminder and give them our reference number,” she said.
Hamda said that jobseekers are also being given the choice, in some booths, to hand over CVs or upload them online.
Although she’s looking for a job in the government sector, Hamda said she wants to find a place where she can gain more experience, exposure and build more skills.
Othman Al Mansour, 32, who is from Ras Al Khaimah and is looking forward to working at Dubai Cultures and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), said the fair had opened up new opportunities for him.
“Having hundreds of companies in one place has encouraged Emiratis to come here and seek better options. The people representing the companies are giving us a good idea about what to expect. However, I still have one thing in mind, which is to work at Dubai Culture. Thanks to the fair, I was able to finally apply and directly speak to them.”
Another Emirati, Maitha Mohammad, who was on the lookout for job opportunities in the government sector because of the ‘greater privileges,’ said: “I like how the career fair is focused on Emiratis only and how they are using technology to accept applications. I’ve applied to eight companies and they have all confirmed that they will be calling me in for interviews.”
