Emirati women lead the way at Careers UAE

Emirati women were out in full force at Careers UAE this week, as exhibitors from the country’s largest recruitment fair report that the number of women looking to join the work force is on the rise.

With the gender pay gap predicted to close 100 years earlier than anticipated, UAE female undergraduates are leading the way as 67% are more likely to aspire to be in senior leadership positions compared to their male classmates.

This was evident at the three day Careers UAE event, which held an exclusive ladies morning on Monday 10 April to meet the growing demand of female job seekers, as private and public organisations showcased their latest recruitment opportunities across a range of industries.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Careers UAE closes today (11 April) at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Commercial Bank International, an exhibitor at the event, reported more than 200 applications on the first two days of the show, of which 85% of them were female. Badriya AlBlooshi, Emiratisation HR Officer said: “There has been a lot of interest in our job openings this year and the majority has been from women. This is a really positive step for the region’s job market and of course the sector, as private companies are proactively striving to reach the 2021 Emiratisation Vision.”

Government entities also revealed that job openings were being dominated by women, with Mohammed AbdulRahman Ahmed, Head of HR Recruitment Section from HR Department, Dubai Municipality saying: “70% of our applicants are female. We have already carried out at least 20 interviews on the stand and received over 200 CVs. Within Dubai Municipality, 51% of our staff are female and we have a number of initiatives to encourage women within our workforce.”

One such programme is Reem Team, an exclusive ladies “club” which organises exclusive trips and festivities for women and specialises in taking care of all female staff needs.

“We are very committed to our ladies and trust that they have the skills needed to succeed in any field. We want to ensure we can provide them with the best environment to support them so they can thrive in the workplace,” with Mohammed AbdulRahman Ahmed added.

Women are dominating the workforce at DEWA, with 60% of employees being made up of females and a high number of those being engineering staff. Receiving over 1000 visitors on the opening day of the show, DEWA have more than 300 vacancies available for Emiratis.

The UAE Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces proved to be a popular choice for female visitors, as they received a high number of applications from women and a lot of interest from ladies who were looking to understand what career opportunities were available in their major nine principal units.

A honourable career path for Emiratis, the UAE Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces has a number of opportunities available for women as well as a range of training vacancies that can suit anyone’s skill set.

Further supporting women empowerment, Hopscotch Women’s Conference took place yesterday (10 April) for the first time at the show, which saw female delegates provide hands-on training, coaching, inspiration and opportunities to hundreds of female Emiratis who are eager to take their first or next step on the career ladder.

In line with the UAE’s Emiratisation plan to increase the current number of nationals working in the private sector tenfold by the year 2021, the 17th edition of Careers UAE, has seen a number of new exhibitors join the show, using it as a platform to find the best local graduates in the market.

Offering training for students and young professionals, Asif Sabir, Founder and CEO, My Learning Key said: “This is the first time we have taken part in the event and we are here to help Emiratis develop their skills in real life scenarios so they can be as ready as possible for the working world. The response so far has been great and UAE nationals are eager to learn and understand how they can secure a job and stand out from the crowd.”

The show also hosted a series of interactive sessions and activities including The Talent Hunt organised by InternsME, the UAE’s largest internship job site, which provided job seekers with a wealth of advice and tips for how to pursue their dream career.

A live marketplace for talented UAE youth and the region's top employers took place across the show to bring the most talented Emirati students and young graduates into one place, making it easy for companies to meet, interview and set follow-ups or hire on the spot.

For job seekers with additional incentives looking to hone their skills, ‘Mission Possible’, returned again, a team challenge quizzing groups on their employability, CV writing skills and interviewing techniques, with prizes up for grabs for the best teams.

Taking part this year were Gold Sponsors Dubai Electronic Security Centre and National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Strategic Government Partner Dubai Government Human Resources, Bank Sponsor Commercial Bank of Dubai and partner UAE University, as well as organisations such as Dubai Health Authority, HQ Dubai Police, Standard Chartered and Emirates Group.

Careers UAE 2018 is open exclusively to UAE Nationals and HR practitioners and will return next year to Dubai World Trade Centre. For more information, please visit www.careersuae.ae.

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