Building a work force for the future

Women, young people and skilled expats are seen as key to Abu Dhabi's future if the emirate hopes to realise its economic vision.

Young Emiratis are our "greatest national resource" and their readiness for the job market is a focal point of Abu Dhabi's 2030 plan.

ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi's women, young people and highly skilled expatriates must play a more prominent role in economic life over the next 20 years if the emirate hopes to realise its economic vision. The emirate must also make the development of isolated regions a top priority. These two ideas are central to the Abu Dhabi Government's Economic Vision 2030 report, which was launched yesterday and outlines the emirate's priority areas, objectives and guidelines for the next two decades.

By that date, the plan envisions a "sustainable and diversified" economy, "well-integrated" with the global system, that will provide opportunities for Emiratis and residents alike. Equipping young people to take over the economic reins is one of the main priorities identified in the 142-page report, along with having more women join the work force. Young people are Abu Dhabi's "greatest national resource", with nationals under the age of 24 accounting for 65.5 per cent of the population, it says. The challenge, however, lies in preparing them to enter the job market, especially in key sectors such as energy, finance, trade and manufacturing.

Potential solutions, it adds, include reforming the education system, and initiatives to increase the number of summer or part-time jobs to prepare students for the working world. The Government also believes that it is important to continue attracting and retaining skilled workers from overseas. "A focus on more highly skilled, high-income expatriate workers will have both economic and demographic benefits," the report states.

In Abu Dhabi, expatriates earn an average of Dh6,000 (US$1,633) a month, according to the report. However, many are paid less, meaning the expatriate population is comprised largely of working-age men who cannot afford to have their families here with them. This means "the expatriate population is strongly slanted towards working-age males, which has caused an overall age and gender imbalance in the Emirate's population".

Shifting the economy towards "higher value-added industries" could entice more families to live in the emirate. Having more families around would not only redress the gender imbalance but increase "the overall purchasing power". Higher salaries and improvements in areas such as education and health care could also help lure more skilled workers. More than half of Emirati households in Abu Dhabi bring home more than Dh10,000 a month. Most rely on only one breadwinner - something that will be redressed as more women and young people enter the work force.

Abu Dhabi's population, the report continues, has doubled in only two decades as a result of high birth rates, lower death rates and increased immigration. "The larger population presents Abu Dhabi with a great opportunity, providing the manpower to staff a 21st-century economy," it says. At the same time, it is important that the Government monitors the "social implications of development". According to 2005 figures published in the report, Emirati women in Abu Dhabi lag behind their peers in Norway, Canada, Egypt and Singapore when it comes to female participation in the work force.

However, with 18.5 per cent of Emirati women in Abu Dhabi employed, the emirate fares better than the UAE overall in terms of working women. Across the country, only 13 per cent of women are in jobs. Encouraging more women to join the work force, particularly in rural areas, will lead to greater economic development, the report states. It also suggests providing financial support to women who work from home.

Katty Marmenout, a research fellow in the Women and Leadership in the Middle East programme at Insead, a centre for executive education and research in Abu Dhabi, agreed more needed to be done to prepare women for the private sector. "There are many national women working now, but many largely prefer to work in the public sector. There must be more efforts exerted to prepare women and utilise them in the private sector."

Azza al Qubaisi, an Emirati artist and jewellery designer who founded the not-for-profit organisation Made in the UAE, said she thought the incentives provided to Emirati women were almost on par with thodr men receive. She praised initiatives such as the creation of nurseries in government offices, and Mubdiah, a programme established by the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council to support female Emirati entrepreneurs who work from home.

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