Emirati staff in public sector to be placed in private jobs

Employees in the public sector are to be placed in private companies as part of plans to boost Emiratisation.

The Citizen Redistribution Policy will put experienced staff working for the state into “leading positions” in the private sector on a rotational basis.

It is hoped that the policy will help the government to reach its Emiratisation goals and increase self-confidence among UAE nationals through experience in the private sector.

It is one of three new initiatives aimed at increasing the number of UAE nationals working in non-state companies by the government’s Emiratisation Working Group.

In the past, government jobs have been regarded as a more prestigious and rewarding career path.

But encouraging more Emiratis to enter the private sector is crucial to ensuring there are enough jobs to go around, now and in the future.

“And if we are talking about economic diversification, Emiratis have to go into the private sector because they need to contribute to the economic diversification of their country,” said Rula Dajani, UAE director of non-profit education company Amideast.

Amideast is working with Citi Foundation on the Skills for Success programme, which will place more than 70 Emiratis in private and public sector roles starting next year.

The company is in discussions with multinationals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi about taking part in the programme. The response has been good, Ms Dajani said.

Experts said initiatives such as the Redistribution Policy could work by highlighting the benefits of a career in the private sector. But it has to be introduced correctly to make it attractive.

And protecting the employee’s public sector job while on rotation in the private sector is an important start, experts said.

“If I were an Emirati I wouldn’t leave my full-time public sector job to go to a temporary position in the private sector,” said Rola Al Moheid, an associate at HR advisories Willis Towers Watson and Cubiks International.

“Why would I do that, regardless of the short-term gains, even if you are offering me triple. Because at the end of the day I have a family and a life to take care of.”

But if the assignment were short term and the public sector job protected, it could be attractive, Ms Al Moheid said.

“This would definitely enrich my experience,” she said.

“At the end of the day, the horizon, the number of people who I would be working with, the number of tasks and the variety of activities in the private sector are much more varied.”

Another initiative is an e-portal for the self employed to connect talented Emiratis with different programmes and services. It will co-ordinate companies to better use self-employed nationals.

The government also adopted a system that will create education programmes to boost the skills of those working and align their skills with future trends in the job market.

In a change from the norm, this year’s National Day holidays are the same for the public and private sectors, with all employees across the UAE being given days off next Sunday and Monday.

Employees in the private sector have traditionally had a shorter break for public holidays.

It is not clear whether evening up holidays is part of plans to make the private sector more attractive.