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19 March 2024

UAE employees' wish list: Pay and benefits; Is your boss listening?

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

All employees have their own wish list of things they desire from their bosses and good employers should be willing to listen to their staff to avoid disconnect, which can lead to friction between the two parties.

Emiratis in the country are no different and they have their preferences, which are most likely to prompt them to join or leave an organisation.

According to a new UAE survey, Linking Emiratisation to Employee Engagement, released by human resources consultancy Mercer, there are several employment priorities among nationals and the challenges that come along.

The survey shows clear evidence of a gap between what Emirati employees look for in work … and what employers think is important. Further, the findings suggest that Emiratis have different preferences when they are looking to join an organization or wanting to leave.

“We were driven by the need to understand how the thinking behind Emiratisation and the activity in the Emirati workforce has evolved over the past decade. While the bulk of the current Emirati workforce is still in the public sector, we need to know what the private sector can do to attract and keep Emirati talent,” says survey project leader and spokesman, Saqr Ahmed Al Maazmi.

What do UAE employees look for while choosing a job?

The survey results show young Emiratis look for pay and benefits, company reputation, the opportunity for learning and even the location of the job over some of the more traditional approaches favoured by HR.

The findings reinforce the message that today’s Emirati job-seekers and jobholders are better equipped to make more informed choices.

“Emiratis want to be paid-well, motivated to learn and grow in a stimulating work environment. Furthermore, those already in a job with the right skills and experience now know they are a hot commodity and they are prepared to move if something better comes along.”

Where do jobseekers go most?

The survey reveals most Emirati men pursued careers in engineering and law, while women favour media and education.

Business administration was the single most prevalent course of study among both genders. Interestingly, among the more than 400 students polled, none were studying nursing, food and agriculture, physical education, languages or specialist medical areas including dentistry and pharmacy – meaning a difficult future ahead for employers trying to attract UAE nationals to these areas.

According to a previous Emirati Employment Report published by Oxford Strategic Consultancy, 54 per cent of Emiratis polled stated a preference to work in the public sector. In terms of industry selection, defence and security sector led the way polling at 35 per cent, banking and finance and oil and gas both snared 20 per cent of polled votes, with telecommunications favoured by 14 per cent of those polled and aviation coming in at 11 per cent.

Retention woes of employers

The Mercer survey also indicates a retention gap is emerging. Employers are seen to be offering a value proposition that is not fully appreciated or wanted by employees and this can lead to job hopping.

“A loyalty gap is clear: 6 in 10 local nationals in work say they plan to swap jobs and companies in the next five years, challenging traditional notions of employee engagement.”

The survey assessed the perspectives of 462 UAE National university students, 52 employers and 318 UAE Nationals in the workforce.