Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation invites organizations to register for the best employers in Middle East study

The study aims to provide key insights for participating organizations into attracting and retaining talent in this region.

It will help participants understand what characteristics make an organization one of the best employers in the area.

Sultan Lootah, Vice President of the Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation, Employment and Entrepreneurship Sector, has explained that this initiative comes in line with the strategic vision of the Foundation, a vision that comprises the different concerned parties in the labour market.

He said:

"As the labour market requires competent, loyal, educated and knowledgeable employees, it also needs highly responsible employers who have the necessary managerial and strategic thinking skills, and who use them to promote the relationship with their workforce, the most important capital."

"The Foundation is keen on making every possible effort to realize the goals of the Best Employer initiative. We strongly believe that it will improve competitiveness among employers, which will be reflected on the labour market in general" Lootah added.

Debabrat Mishra, Middle East Consulting Business Leader, Hewitt Associates said:

"We are delighted to have the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation lend its support for our flagship study. We have had a terrific level of interest from the market and under the patronage of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, we know that the regional scope of this Study will be enhanced further. The Foundation is dedicated to seeing growth and development of talent in the pan Arab world, and all of us at Hewitt are committed to the vision of this Study, which is to help all participants understand where they are relative to the market, and what they need to focus on to be seen as a Best Employer."

Hewitt launched its inaugural study in September, and is accepting registrations till December 20th.

All participants will get four complementary reports that will provide insights about their own organization, as well as benchmark them externally to the rest of the market.

Participation in the study is confidential and only the final list of Best Employers will be publicly shared.

The Best Employers will be selected by an independent judging panel that will include prominent academics and business leaders.

Judging for the final list will be done on a blind basis where the Judging Panel will be given coded data and they will not know which organization is associated with which set of data, until they have picked the Best Employers.

Companies that have been in existence for over a year or more as on 1st September, 2008 and have more than 100 employees will be invited to participate in the study.

Organizations across industries are eligible to participate.

Comprehensive results of the study are expected to be announced in March 2009.