Leading recruitment exhibition which focuses on Emiratisation and employment in the UAE, Tawdheef Recruitment Show, has opened today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

The event will run until February 2, a statement from the event organisers Informa Exhibitions said.

Two thirds of UAE nationals currently employed are actively seeking better job opportunities, while nearly half of those unemployed have been looking for a job for more than 12 months, a new survey conducted by Informa showed.

The survey was conducted on 365 UAE nationals between the ages of 18 to 40 (44 per cent female, 56 per cent male) as part of an ongoing study examining the work-life balance and other issues related to Emiratisation.

Of the 365 respondents, almost half (45 per cent) were unemployed, while a third (33 per cent) were employed in the public sector, and a further 22 per cent in the private sector. 

Although 65 per cent of them were already employed, the report showed that they were actively looking for a new job to improve their work and career opportunities. 

Researchers also found a gender gap among Emiratisation employment rates; more than half (55 per cent) of the female respondents were unemployed and actively seeking a job, while just 32 per cent of male respondents were out of work.

The public sector still remains the most preferred workplace option for UAE Nationals; 90 per cent of respondents indicated that they would prefer to work in Government organisations, though 30 per cent also state they would consider private sector roles.

The most common reasons for a public sector preference were higher salaries, better working hours, more job security, and the perception that public sector organisations would treat them better than organisations in the private sector.

Comments made by respondents in the survey indicated many feel a patriotic duty to serve their country, though the majority agree that for experience and skills development, the private sector trumps.

The most popular industry to work in after government and social services (71 per cent) was oil & gas / energy sector (44 per cent), while 25 per cent of all respondents indicated that they were either looking for work or currently working in tourism and hospitality, event management and marketing communication roles.

When asked what the main challenges were for job seekers while looking for a job in the private sector, 58 per cent of respondents said that they felt that salaries would be below expectations, with 49 per cent saying they felt that there weren’t enough jobs available for UAE nationals in the private sector.

Tawdheef will feature more than 100 government and private organisations offering more than 2,000 immediately vacant positions to increase the percentage of Emiratis on their employee rosters.

The recruitment show spans almost every industry, including government, finance, healthcare, insurance, retail, tourism and hospitality, energy, industrial, media, recruitment, defense and security, IT, telecoms, transport and logistics.

Hayete Jemai, Tawdheef exhibition director, said: “The UAE national survey was developed to gain a better understanding of the underlying themes of how Emiratis perceive public and private sector work environments, and the main challenges they face when looking for work in the private sector.”

“It is part of an ongoing study to find out how we can help integrate Emiratis into the private sector and assist organisations with aligning their Emiratisation targets and objectives,” she said.

Presented by Abu Dhabi Tawteen Council, Tawdheef is now in its sixth edition, and only companies with immediately available positions for UAE nationals will take part.

These include platinum sponsors such as UAE Presidential Guard, Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi; gold sponsors Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Adnoc and Etisalat; and silver sponsors Etihad Airways, the Telecoms Regulations Authority (TRA) Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), and Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company (Adnic). Abu Dhabi Airports Company is the registration sponsor.

The first two days of Tawdheef is reserved for Emirati job seekers only, with the final day open to all other nationalities. A ladies-only session will take place on February 1 between 11am and 2pm. – TradeArabia News Service