Highly qualified Emiratis find themselves underemployed

Abu Dhabi: Dozens of Emirati PhD and master's degree holders are on the government's unemployment list and are left with no option but to accept monotonous jobs or emigrate to the West, said a group of highly-qualified Emiratis.

The group who registered with Tanmia, the government-run job placement agency, warned of a gap in the pool of educated Emiratis, who are unable to find work and thus become part of the brain drain.

"Although the UAE has been bringing in millions of foreign workers, a skilled generation of Emarati PhD and master's degree holders are on the unemployment list of the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia)," said Dr Mariam Ahmad Al Shabibi, who holds a doctorate in educational methods and curricula.

Blaming what she called "the country's knee-jerk reaction of bringing foreign workers to the UAE", she said: "It is a demoralising experience for me to be a highly qualified citizen, who is unable to serve her country, while seeing thousands of foreigners filling positions from high-ranking executives to street cleaners."

Mixed message

Mariam, who graduated in 2006, showed up for several interviews at the Ministry of Education, the UAE University, Sharjah University, Ajman University and the Dubai Educational Zone.

"They went very well. All the interviewers were happy with my answers. But I have not got a job as they all told me after a long time waiting if any positions came up they'd call me immediately. Now is it me or is that a very mixed message to send to someone? Yes we like you but sorry we don't have vacancies. In some cases, I was boldly asked to seek the influence of a senior official to get the job."

Marian did not, however, give up.

"I had to leave behind my doctorate, which was a stumbling block in my way to join the workforce. I worked as a secretary and in just eight months I was promoted to a senior position in charge of Emiratisation in the company. But deep inside I still feel underemployed," Mariam said.

Around 13,000 Emiratis are registered with Tanmia, some of them have accepted tedious jobs and are looking forward to better prospects.

Tanmia declined to release the unemployment rate among Emiratis and the Ministry of Economy recently launched a national survey to build a database of the country's workforce.

Also registered with Tanmia, Jamal Ahmad Bnari, who graduated with a master's degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University in the USA, applied to several communications companies in the UAE but failed to land a job that matched his skills.

Although he is now working in the US, he is looking forward to serving his country using his skills. He disliked "the awful words uttered effortlessly by the interviewer. 'Sorry, but you are overqualified.' "

Ebrahim Yousuf Al Mansouri, a telecommunications expert, has been looking for a "proper" job for four years now. Al Mansouri, who holds two bachelor's degrees in communications and air defence, said he was willing to work without pay for two months just to prove his efficiency.

He suggested the private sector could solve the unemployment issue if they offered one per cent of jobs annually to citizens. The UAE, he said, should cut down on its dependency for expatriate labour and establish a ministry to look after the job requirements of Emiratis.

Rare problem: 90% foreign workforce

The UAE's economy creates hundreds of thousand of jobs annually, yet the country still faces a unique employment problem - a shortage of manpower and yet potential unemployment due to reliance on a foreign workforce.

Recently workers from the subcontinent, who have traditionally filled construction jobs in the UAE, have been returning home after inflation pushed up the cost of living.

Some 40 per cent of the population of the UAE is currently under 21 years of age and will soon be joining the labour market but the public sector will not be able to absorb all those workers.

More than 90 per cent of the UAE's 4 million-strong workforce come from abroad, with the day-to-day management of the private sector being left to foreigners.

Do you feel you are overqualified for your current job profile? Have you faced problems being hired based on your skill set? Did you consider registering with Tanmia? What happened? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form below to comment.

I feel that work experience matters a lot. When you get that, then you should take a PhD.
Pramod
Ruwi,India
Posted: July 28, 2008, 10:49

As a foreigner myself, I also found that a number of expatriates in positions of senior management tend to resist employing my proposals even though they have no qualification or experience in my specific line of work. I presented the same proposals to an Emirati friend who told me that my ideas were good and would help benefit the development of the UAE but the expatriate "decision makers" do not support the ideas in fear of losing the spotlight or their own positions (which I do not seek). So, it seems that some (not all) are interested primarily to ensure their own positions at the expense of inhibiting the growth of new sectors in the UAE.
Abdul
Liverpool,UK
Posted: July 28, 2008, 10:29

As an Emirati, with a degree from the UK, I can say that it is actually very difficult for educated Emiratis to find jobs. I have found that companies prefer to employ individuals with work experience rather than academic qualifications. Once an Emirati joins a company, there seems to be a glass ceiling. Emiratis very rarely hold senior management positions in the private sector. I was told I could not have a certain position in a local company as they already had a UAE national in the team.
Hannah
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 28, 2008, 10:14

I would like to add that this has become a general problem in the Gulf (for citizens as wells as expat workers) where salary has become the main criteria for recruitment in most cases.
Rajnish
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 28, 2008, 09:42

I have a masters and a degree from Cambridge University, but I had to go on a job hunt for three years untill I finally found a job where I am paid less than a full time maid.
Mary
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 28, 2008, 09:32