Abu Dhabi to create 600,000 jobs over next decade, offical says

Wednesday, Feb 01, 2012

Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: The emirate of Abu Dhabi is expected to create more than 600,000 new jobs over the next decade, the director of Tawdheef exhibition said here yesterday.

On the other, the number of Emiratis seeking jobs annually range from 12,000 to 13,000 in Abu Dhabi alone, Hayete Jemai said in a statement.

Yesterday, the annual Tawdheef Recruitment Show was inaugurated by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Thousands of Emiratis are expected to visit the sixth edition of the recruitment event today and tomorrow at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the events organisers said.

For the first time in the exhibitions history only [organisations] with immediate job openings for UAE nationals are taking part, said Jemai.

Approximately 2,000 vacant positions are being offered at Tawdheef 2012 for Emiratis in more than 100 public and private organisations including government, finance, health care, tourism and hospitality, media, defence and security and telecoms.

Biggest misconception

Tawdheef provides an effective platform for us to reach out to job seekers one of the biggest misconceptions we have learnt from visitors is that no one is recruited from such events. In fact, we successfully recruited candidates for various positions last year, said Fahad Al Hassawi, chief human resources and shared services officer at du.

For 2012, we have 160 new positions for UAE nationals across all departments. In 2011, we exceeded our initial Emiratisation target of three per cent, with Emiratis now making up 28 per cent of our workforce. Of those, 36 per cent are in management positions, he added.

According to a survey conducted by Informa Exhibitions, the organisers of Tawdheef, 65 per cent of Emiratis who are currently employed are actively seeking better job opportunities, while nearly 45 per cent of Emiratis have been searching for a position for nearly a year. The survey interviewed 365 Emiratis between 18 and 40 years, out of which 44 per cent were women.

This is the first time I visit the fair I havent worked for several years but now I want to join an organisation, hopefully a government entity, and strengthen my skills, said Afraa Salem Al Marzouqi, a 21-year-old emirati from Shahama.

Tawdheef job fair 2012

What: Tawdheef Recruitment Show

Where: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

When: Tuesday, 31 January 2012: 11am - 7pm (UAE Nationals only)

Wednesday, 1 February 2012: 11am - 7pm (UAE Nationals only) (11am - 2pm UAE National Ladies only)

Thursday, 2 February 2012: 9:30am - 7pm (Open to all Nationalities)

For more information, please visit http://www.tawdheef.ae/

By Nathalie Farah, Staff Reporter