Emiratisation is top priority for UAE Government, says UAE Labour Minister

Speaking at a media briefing hosted by the Dubai Press Club, Dr. Al Kaabi said that it is not logical that 33,000 UAE Nationals remain unemployed despite the private sector generating 600,000 jobs annually.

"UAE nationals are quite capable of proving themselves in any position once they are given the right opportunities and proper training," Dr. Al Kaabi said. "The inaccurate perceptions about the productivity levels of UAE Nationals come largely from the private sector. We invite the private sector to provide opportunities to Nationals to help them contribute to the development of the UAE economy."

Dr. Al Kaabi stressed that the nationalization process is not intended to harm the interests of expatriates currently employed as secretaries and human resources managers. The enforcement of the laws, he said, will not ignore the interests of private companies and their employees.

"Countries across the world give high priority to employment of their own citizens. Governments are responsible for providing their nationals equal access to job opportunities in both public and private sectors. Being saturated now, the UAE public sector cannot employ the 14,000 high school graduates who are unemployed. Nationalising secretarial jobs will help these graduates find jobs in the private sector".

According to Dr. Kaabi, there are 20,000 secretaries currently registered, with 9,000 of them earning salaries of AED 7,000 per month and above.

The labour minister denied that nationalization may have a negative impact on the local economy.

Commenting on issues facing expatriate workers in the UAE, Al Kaabi said that the Labour Ministry is keen to protect the interests of the workers. The change in the working hours in the summer was an example of an action taken by the Ministry in this regard.

Dr. Khalid Al Khazraji, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour, who also attended the press conference, said that perceptions of extreme hardships faced by laborers in the UAE were exaggerated and based on unverified media reports.

Dr. Al Khazraji said that the ministry enjoys excellent relations with the International Labour Organization, the international body that monitors labour conditions around the world.

He stressed that nationalization does not mean ignoring the interests of private companies or their employees. "Enforcing the laws will take into consideration the interests of private companies who can continue to employ their secretaries if they feel they will add value to the company. However, they will have to amend their job descriptions."