The UAE plans to curb the importation of unskilled workers into the country in line with its policy to balance the country's demographic structure, said a report.

The move comes as part of the government's strategy to strike a demographic balance in parallel with the comprehensive development that benefits UAE citizen across all the emirates, the state news agency Wam reported.

At a key meeting, the UAE cabinet called for stringent measures to stop the 'unsystematic import of workforce' and directed labour authorities to work out alternative methods to bring in skilled professionals based on accredited professional and educational certificates after careful scrutiny.

The authorities were also told to replace the present system with recruitment from within the UAE, an intiative aimed at 'empowering the Emirati citizens and making them the key engine of development,' the report said.

The cabinet urged authorities to set up overseas centres for testing and training workforce in different countries for the purpose and also approved the creation of a fund for productivity improvement.

Its main mandate is to stimulate the private sector to improve its productivity through introduction of advanced technologies, provision of skilled and trained workforce to the private sector companies, Wam said.

To curb the flow of unskilled labour into the construction sector, the largest employer of this kind of manpower, the cabinet directed authorities to introduce an indicator for construction that defines a set of technical standards for building designs focusing on improving productivity in this sector.

The cabinet also called for a minimum qualification criteria for certain jobs in construction sector. However, it exempted domestic helpers and similar categories from such curbs.

'The UAE's handling of demographic structure challenge forms one of national priorities and key guidelines of the government action,' said Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the meeting.

He said the government had set specific, clear targets for the UAE citizens over the next 20 years through a package of concerted economic and social policies and initiatives based on the projected economic and demographic growth scenarios.-TradeArabia News Service