China's economy has seen double-digit growth over the past decade. AFP PHOTO
China's economy has seen double-digit growth over the past decade. AFP PHOTO

Staying competitive can work - but only with the right jobs



Competitiveness can be a difficult concept to grasp.

The word itself doesn't really help.

It's the "titive" bit in the middle that titypically titends to be titricky.

People either say it twice or just vault over it entirely and hope for the best.

In the new abbreviated global economy of Twitter and text, "competitiveness" has lost its competitiveness.

We may have to replace it with just a lower case "c" and a smiley face.

If it is difficult to say, it can be even more difficult to achieve. At least three major conferences in Dubai last week are all competing to attract the leading names in global competitiveness.

It was a perfect storm of mispronunciation.

The competitiveness industry has never been more prosperous and it is no coincidence that this is occurring at such a poverty-stricken time for the global economy.

Even the Chinese are struggling with competitiveness these days.

Along with kung fu and the production of synthetic eggs, the Chinese are generally reckoned to be pretty darn good at competitiveness.

China's Olympic gymnast of an economy has pivoted, cartwheeled and back flipped its way to double-digit growth over the past decade while America waddled hopelessly behind in elasticated jeans.

But wage inflation in the world's most populous nation has led to what was until recently unthinkable - America winning back jobs, albeit in relatively small numbers. Now it is the kung fu panda economy that could do with losing a few pounds.

Competitiveness is often discussed as if it were an absolute when it is really a relative condition. It relies on others being uncompetitive to flourish.

For hundreds of years the cavalry was a really competitive way for small numbers of posh chaps on horses to trample over large numbers of infantry. But somewhere between 1914 and 1918, it too lost its competitiveness.

For a long time the cavalry was morose and didn't go out very much until someone suggested beefing it up with some tanks and overnight it was back in business, happily trampling over all comers.

The British Empire had an awesome cavalry that was often used to explain to countries that were not in the British Empire that they actually now were in the British Empire and that they should jolly well get used to it.

Then the British Empire became uncompetitive and created the Commonwealth Games where it could again become competitive by avoiding Cuban boxers and American sprinters.

Which brings us to today and the increasing urgency of Arabian Gulf states to achieve competitiveness in a world where old assumptions are being increasingly challenged.

Chief among these is the question of how long oil will power the world's economic engine, where most of it will come from and who will be in charge of filling its tank. This is why we see so much competitiveness-inspired introspection in this part of the world.

According to World Economic Forum rankings, most Gulf states have either maintained or in the case of the UAE, improved their competitiveness over the past year.

The gold stars dished out by the Davos mob tend to relate to such things as boosting transparency, making it easier to start a company and improving internet connectivity.

But what competitiveness is really about is jobs and creating as many high-value ones as possible. This is where policy can find itself pulling in different directions.

Regional governments are under pressure to create more jobs for their citizens and it is far easier to do this in the public rather than the private sector.

That makes the work of incentivising school leavers into technical degrees that are aligned with economic diversification agendas all the more challenging.

It's a difficult nettle to grasp but sooner or later policymakers across the region will need to decide what kind of jobs are needed to make the leap from the repetitive to the competitive. The rest is window dressing.

Griselda
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

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Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Company%20profile
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Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 290hp

Torque: 340Nm

Price: Dh155,800

On sale: now

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The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

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Company%20Profile
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Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

TRAP

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue

Director: M Night Shyamalan

Rating: 3/5

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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)

Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)

West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)

Sunday

Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)

Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)

Everton v Liverpool (10pm)

Monday

Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Transmission: CVT auto

Power: 181bhp

Torque: 244Nm

Price: Dh122,900 

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Avengers: Endgame

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin

4/5 stars 

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

Mia Man’s tips for fermentation

- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut

- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.

- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.

- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.

 

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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