Today, youth represent the largest demographic in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with nearly 50 percent of the population being between the ages of 15 and 35. This is the largest number of young people to transition to adulthood in the country’s history. UAE youth are living during unprecedented times. Volatile oil prices and a protracted pandemic have accelerated change in all sectors and industries and fast-tracked the arrival of Industry 4.0, which will further change the nature of work and require new skills and competencies. The Ideation Center at Strategy& Middle East, part of the PwC network, worked with the Emirates Youth Council to identify and synthesize the top 10 trends that have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, under five key themes: education and human capital, employment and productivity, health and safety, society and sustainability, and citizenship. These trends will shape the UAE’s youth sector over the next decade.

“Investing in youth and creating the right conditions to help them realize their full potential is essential to future-proof the economy,” said Fadi Adra, partner with Strategy& Middle East and the leader of the firm’s government and public-sector work in the UAE. “By understanding these trends, relevant UAE entities can tailor appropriate and effective policy responses to each trend. These responses, in turn, can lead to a stronger and more inclusive economy and society.”

  • Benefit from digital and personalized education: Digitization, personalized data, and e-learning will transform the education ecosystem, with examples ranging from artificial intelligence-powered chatbots and mixed-reality system that will be used to support self-paced, personalized and adaptive learning.
  • Stay ahead of the employment curve: Employers need an agile, entrepreneurial, and resilient workforce. With the shift to remote work now a long-term possibility, and the prevalence of the gig economy and fluid workforces, youth are pursuing their passions and tapping into an entire system of services that support an entrepreneurial approach.
  • Have a healthier lifestyle and place more stress on good mental health: Fitness will become more holistic and more digitally enhanced. There will be a growing adoption of new health tracking technologies, some of which will create increasingly personalized dietary guidance and data-driven preventive care. The pandemic has also significantly compounded mental health issues, with diminishing their stigma among the youth —with tech-enabled multisystem therapy, which enable early intervention and on-demand services.
  • Develop better financial habits, while leading lives that have less negative environmental impact: Youth are reassessing their spending habits and focusing on saving for the future. They will focus less on immediate gratification and more on financial accountability. They will also be more active in encouraging further actions to counter climate change, by adopting sustainable living practices and conservation habits to reduce their carbon footprint. Mature in an environment of greater social cohesion and be socially aware and responsible: A number of socioeconomic factors – such as increased life expectancy and declining birth rates – will change family composition. Youth will continue developing family routines, fun rituals, shared activities, and interests, while embodying the UAE’s values of tolerance, respect, and diversity. Their social responsibility and collective giving will gain more prominence, and ‘profit with purpose’ motivations will increase the influence of social ventures. Tech platforms will also strengthen youth civic participation, and enable broader participation in policy decisions.

Hashem Hayee Hamad Alkaabi, Emirates Youth Council, commented: “We believe that these trends are opportunities for youth and decision makers in this country alike. Youth now have bigger responsibilities to use the available tools and emerging technologies to benefit themselves and society as a whole; investing in themselves first and foremost. We encourage all young people to increase their involvement in co-designing solutions through models of civic engagement such as Youth Councils”.

 “Youth should consider these trends as priority areas when embarking on the next chapters of their lives, added Dima Sayess partner and the director of the Ideation Center, the leading think tank for Strategy& in the Middle East. “Relevant entities should also respond by tailoring the right policy responses to each, thereby making the economy and the society more robust for the future. Together their contributions and engagement can help create a more prosperous UAE and enable the country’s youth to reach their full potential and be ready for the future.”

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