Although there are thousands of job opportunities in the UAE, the private sector is still struggling to attract UAE nationals.
According to experts, many are lured to the public sector because of easier working hours and better holidays. Officials are suggesting that the public sector should be changed and adopted to a work culture more akin to that of the private sector.
Is there a real problem in luring UAE nationals into the private sector? Should the public sector change its working hours and the number of holidays to match the private sector? Or are things ok the way they are?
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Private sector to blame
Being a UAE national I find it very offensive to read that nationals refuse to work in private sector due to long hours, fewer holidays and hard work. The real problem lies with the private sector for not offering wages and benefits competitive with the public sector. Let the truth be told. The private sector has done nothing to attract UAE nationals to the private sectors and blaming us is nothing but a red herring.
Sameera
Abu Dhabi
Public sector better
Learn from the Government. If you want anything from any government sector in Dubai you would get it in less than two days. The public sector in Dubai is one of the most efficient workplaces in the world and every one should learn from it. It is not the long hours that make profit; it is the efficiency which you rarely see in the private sector in Dubai. Rather than changing the public sector the private sector you should start providing the quality life for its employees as the public sector does and then you will see the results. I don't blame UAE nationals from not accepting jobs in the private sector because in Dubai it is a place to work and not to build a career.
Osama
by Email
Investing in a career
I am a local working in the private sector for about two years. I gave away the higher pay in the public sector for the private sector (big mistake). The private sector portrays itself as the place for hard workers, higher rewards and greater learning but in reality you just end up with a low-paying job with long hours of hard work. At the end of the day no satisfaction is done, no career is built. Locals are looking for a job that can become an investment as a career. Also, working from 8 to 5 does not fit in our values and way of life. When the private sector is ready to give better pay and provide a clear career path, locals would be on top of the list. But for now, the leavers are more than the comers.
Abdallah
Dubai
Public sector beckons
Who said that nationals want easy jobs? People are getting a grasp of what a career is and what having a successful career means. Even if they change the work timings for companies in the public sector to match those of the private sector, UAE nationals will still want to work in the public sector. The many reasons for this being: the pay will still be higher than private sectors, the holidays will be different and there is free time to recharge from the day's work.
Shaikha
By e-mail
No change
It is not necessary to change the public sector timings as they mainly concern nationals. But long holidays should be avoided so that day-to-day customer service will not go pending.
Sharli
Dubai
Remove gap
Unless the gap between the perks and working conditions in the public and private sector is removed, it will be difficult for private sector companies to find many takers among UAE nationals. The kind of workforce exploitation that takes place in many segments (construction and catering industries being the worst culprits) makes it difficult for employees to survive. Majority of private sector employees are required to work very long hours with a salary comparatively less that what employees in the public sectore are getting. The government should step in and make laws to improve working conditions of the private sector workers. Only hen we can have an improvement in the percentage of local workforce in the private sector.
Mark
By e-mail
Family time
In today's busy UAE, everyone - nationals and expatriates alike - needs sufficient quality time to spend with family and friends. So if the private sector implements a five-day work week and holidays similar to that of the public sector, I am sure nationals will have many career options.
Rajesh
By e-mail
Attractive to nationals
There is a unique labor culture both in the public and private sector. Less work hours, more holidays and high salaries are what attracts most UAE nationals to the public sector. If not the same, atleast similiar changes should be there in Private sector also as of 5 days working week, same natinoal holidays..etc. Anothere reason may be national feel more ease at Public Sector.
Faizal
By e-mail
Equality
Employees from the public and private sector should be given equal rights in terms of working hours and holidays.
Smita
By e-mail
Smart methods
Productivity is related to timely planning. The true objective of any business is to make a profit and this can only be accomplished by implementing shorter and smarter work methods. As its repeatedly taught at business schools: 'work smarter, not harder' therefore by keeping offices open for long hours is not the solution. An ideal working day should begin at 7 am and end at 3 pm coupled with a two day weekend.
From a reader
By e-mail
Reduce work timings
Work timings for employees in the private sector should be reduced in order to retain the current employees andalso to attract UAE nationals.
Harris
By e-mail
Better productivity
In today's busy UAE one needs some/sufficient quality time to spend with family and friends. This is applicable to both Nationals and expatriates. If the private sector is also compelled to have five days a week, similar holidays and similar patterns of working hours I'm sure nationals will have many options to choose for an employment. Above all everyone will generate a qualitative and productive output.
Rajesh
Dubai
Equal treatment
I believe human beings should be treated equally. So instead of increasing public sector working hours, private sector timings should be reduced in order to retain the current employees and also to attract UAE nationals.
Harris
by Email
Cut down holidays
It is not necessary to change the public sector timings as they are mainly concern about nationals, but the long holidays should be avoid. At the same time concerning the Dubai's growth, the public departments should work with more shifts to execute the day-to-day service for private sector without pending. The private sector should have at least one and half days off a week and working hours should be not more than 8 hours per day.
Sharli
Dubai
Work never ends
Who said that nationals want easy jobs? People are getting a grasp of what a career is and what does having a successful career means. Some said lets change the working hours, even if they change the timings of the public sectors to match those of the private sectors UAE nationals will still want to choose to work in public sectors and that is because of many reasons, the pay will still be higher than private sectors, the holidays and even people's different values, lets not forget that we are in a super multi-national country. People also need free time to recharge and because of the work load and stress lots of health problems will occur, a study said that many people end up in hospitals with heart attacks because of stress and less relaxing, people need to have a social life. There is a saying in Arabic which means "a person's life ends while work is never ending" well they were not wrong.
Shaikha
by Email
Work efficiency
Work efficiency does relate to the working hours. Private sector employeees will be more efficient if the working hours are reduced, similiar to that of the public sector.
Hussain
Dubai
Not to blame
I don?t blame the UAE nationals for being choosy about getting employment in government and public sectors. The public sectors and government sectors should be aligned in par with private sectors as far as holidays are concerned.
Wilfred
Dubai
So little time
It would be appreciated if work timings for the private sector can be changed (like a five-day work week) so that employees will have time to relax with family and friends. Most private sector employees work six days a week and only get one day off - which is not enough to juggle chores and recreation activities.
From a reader
Dubai
Not appealing
The public sector need not increase its working hours or change its holidays to match that of the private sector. The private sector represents private corporate cultures, while the public sector is more of a "local corporate culture" that is acceptable to the native population.
Our human relations have been greatly affected by the 8 to 5 working hours. Whoever came up with the 8 to 5 hour plan must have been a greedy person who wanted to exploit people in order to make more money. People are not machines. They need to relax and spend time with their families. If you work until 5 and then get stuck in a traffic jam on Shaikh Zayed Road for two hours, what's left of the evening?
I'm a national working for the private sector, and apart from the multinational aspect of my organization, I find nothing appealing about it. The "corporate culture" imposes its own values that may be acceptable to others, but not for us, UAE nationals, who have a different local culture that upholds family and human relations.
Mira
By e-mail
Review work culture
It's the right time to have a review of the work culture in the UAE, especially in Dubai. Long working hours will make the employees loose their concentration and will affect productivity. Private sector employees who work for 10 hours a day leave work with low energy levels - not a healthy working practice. This, in turn, affects productivity. The Dubai government should conduct a sample survey covering the public and private sectors before taking any law relating to work patterns.
From a reader
Dubai
Adopt same benefits
The private sector work culture needs to be patterned after that of the public sector. The private sector should have the same holidays as public sector and should adopt the same benefits given by the public sector.
Rehan
By e-mail
No comparison
There are two major types in UAE workforce: national workers and expatriates. You cannot compare them as far as local policies are concerned.
From A Reader
Dubai
Grant same holidays
The private sector should have the same holidays as the public sector (Thursday and Friday) so that workers in both sectors can enjoy them and so it wouldn't be as difficult to choose between working in the public or private sector.
Farah
By e-mail
Value employees
I don't blame UAE nationals or any other ethnic group for not wanting to work in the private sector. Private companies in the UAE thrive because of the looser labour regulations placed upon them. Employees in the private sector work longer hours, have less time off, and are generally victimised by their employers. Rather than change the public sector to match the private, I suggest the government make the private sector more like the public sector. If companies and organisations are to retain their employees, those individuals will need to feel more valued - starting with higher pay, more time off, shorter work hours, and legitimate observation of a set number of national holidays (including the shortened work days during Ramadan).
Susan
Seattle, USA