Abu Dhabi: At least 10,000 jobs will be created for Emiratis in the private and public sectors in Abu Dhabi over the next five years. This was ordered by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The move comes as part of a Dh50 billion stimulus package to accelerate the capital’s development and economic growth.

It will boost job opportunities for citizens, empower them and raise their competitiveness in the labour market in keeping with the UAE National Agenda 2021.

Shaikh Mohammad launched on Tuesday a slew of initiatives and incentives to facilitate business and to support and encourage new sectors and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and industrial projects.

The initiatives also aim to stimulate tourism and local economic development, create new job opportunities and provide unique and complementary investment environment to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s competitiveness.

In February, the minister in charge of human resources development announced several initiatives and policies aimed at accelerating Emiratisation, empowering citizens and raising their competitiveness by 2021.

Nasser Bin Thani Al Hameli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, said these initiatives will contribute to the creation of 15,000 jobs suitable for citizens in 2018 in strategic economic sectors, in addition to enabling the participation of national human resources in the labour market and raising their competitiveness.

Percentage of workforce

Members of the Federal National Council have overwhelmingly passed a motion to empower the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to control Emiratisation in both the private and public sectors.

The suggestion was made after a member of the House demanded the UAE Labour Law be firmly enforced to ensure that eligible Emirati jobseekers are given top priority in employment, before applying for a work permit for non-Emiratis.

Al Hameli told the House as per the UAE’s Emiratisation targets, 50 per cent of all Emirati workers must be employed in the private sector by 2021 and six per cent of the total UAE workforce must be Emiratis.

Al Hameli said these initiatives will contribute to the creation of 15,000 jobs suitable for citizens in 2018 in strategic economic sectors, in addition to enabling the participation of national human resources in the labour market and raising their competitiveness.

Al Hameli said 400 selected professions in 2,000 private companies will now have to give priority to Emiratis when recruiting.

The ministry has been able to employ 6,862 citizens in the private sector in 2017, an increase of 22 per cent over 2016, during which 5,608 citizens were employed.