e-Governments have a major role to play in the development of e-commerce: Dubai eGovernment

Consequently, career opportunities in the field of e-commerce are set to grow dramatically over the next few years, said Salem Al Shair, Director eServices, Dubai eGovernment.

Addressing the students of Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi, on employment opportunities open to young national graduates, Al Shair said: "E-commerce is an all-encompassing phenomenon. No company, supplier, dealer or distributor can afford to stay out of it. For companies, it is not enough to have a website; it is critically important to join online marketplaces that bring sellers together, offering great sourcing flexibility, lower costs and speedy transactions."

Explaining Dubai eGovernment's approach to e-commerce, Al Shair said: "Dubai eGovernment, as the central gateway through which various government departments deliver their eServices to the public and businesses, has a strong role to play in the growth of e-commerce. E-commerce fits very well with our objective of offering public services electronically through our portal www.dubai.ae. Conducting trade electronically will allow government departments to considerably improve their procurement standards and also ensure best pricing with minimum or no paperwork."

In the UAE, more and more companies are moving towards e-commerce. The tedious job of contacting suppliers, keeping inventories, updating stocks and ensuring quick delivery has been made smooth and efficient by the Web. Government departments are increasingly managing their procurement through online marketplaces like Tejari.com. This has brought numerous benefits to all parties in the chain and boosted overall efficiency.

"e-governments have a major role to play in the development of e-commerce. e-government initiatives have made governments active participants in e-commerce. Through e-commerce activities, governments function as both consumers and suppliers of e-commerce and related services. Thus, the role of government as a regulator has changed to a more participatory one. e-government and e-commerce are, therefore, two sides of the same coin," continued Al Shair.

The career opportunities in e-commerce are diverse. "The all-embracing nature of e-commerce has created a scenario where every company will need to employ specialists to manage e-commerce divisions. Every government department will eventually migrate its procurement processes to online platforms. Online selling could be as important, if not more important, than traditional selling. Further, we will see the setting up of more online marketplaces. With the popularity of online payment through credit cards and innovative tools like e-cash, e-commerce is guaranteed to dominate every aspect of modern business and life," added Al Shair.