All private sector firms must commit to finding Emirati recruits because this is where the workforce of the future will come from. But it is clear that there is a challenge in finding recruits from the currently limited number of Emiratis entering the job market. So many companies are right to offer flexibility and more generous terms to their graduate recruits, which may continue for a few years as they train and retain these valuable corporate assets.
But it would be a serious mistake to build a long-term parallel ‘Emirati’ employment package involving shorter hours, higher pay and better benefits. This will create the curious expectation among young people that they have a life-long right to work less and get paid more. Such a structure would also impose serious operational problems. Most companies already pay Emiratis more than their peers, and that is understood pragmatically, but to build a whole package would formalise such a position. There is already a problem in the parallel structure of the public sector where pay, holiday and benefits are larger than the private sector. Both private and public sectors need to offer similar conditions so that anyone entering the labour force feels able to make a reasonable choice.
Pay and conditions must offer a decent sufficiency, but many job surveys have proved that these are not the most powerful motivators. Factors like job satisfaction, pride in the task and prestige among family and friends have consistently come out as more powerful. So employers should use these as the reasons for Emiratis to seek work in a particular company or sector instead of simple cash and holidays.
