Sharjah Ruler approves part-time work system for senior citizens

Sharjah: H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, on Monday approved a part-time work system across Sharjah Government departments to employ 1,000 senior citizens. H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan also approved an increase in social support for 1,473 beneficiaries of social services, a pay rise for 3,270 Sharjah Government employees in the senior grades, and higher pension payments for 1,470 retirees from the Sharjah Government, calculated according to grade. H.H. directed that the increases cover all Sharjah Government employees, including centralised and decentralised entities and universities, and ordered a faster pace of recruitment over the remaining months of the year to fill 1,200 jobs, meeting the emirate's 2026 target of 3,000 new positions. Speaking in a phone-in on the Direct Line programme, broadcast on Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan said, "Today's approvals included the part-time work system for the Sharjah Government. This programme isn't aimed at employing retirees who are still able to handle full-time work - It is aimed at the older person who spends his days at home, with little left to look forward to. Ask him what he is waiting for each day, and the answer may be a painful one. Here, I say no. I will bring him and his wife out of the house, and they'll come to work two or three days a week, or maybe an hour or two a day, depending on what they can manage. Even if he comes to work leaning on a cane, I want him to join us, so his spirit is lifted, so he feels the pleasure of contributing to the service of the nation and society, and so he earns a wage for his work." A job that won't tire them and an income besides H.H. added, "I'm not targeting those who are able to work full-time-my aim with this programme is to bring senior citizens out of the house and involve them in life with us, and God willing, they won't find any hardship in this work, because the jobs will be undemanding. For example, one of these roles involves checking tickets for visitors to Sharjah's museums, where the senior person will have a simple but meaningful role at the museum entrance: sitting in an air-conditioned chair, checking visitors’ tickets, tearing off a small section, and handing each ticket back before they enter. They will also be picked up and dropped home by a car provided by the workplace, driven by a company driver. In this way, our real goal in employing senior citizens through part-time work is to bring them back into the rhythm of everyday life-to give them a reason to get out, see the world around them, meet people, and interact with visitors and customers again. The senior employee will wake up early, get dressed, leave the house, and go to work. This way, we protect them from the depression that comes from isolation at home and the feeling of being unproductive, because this work lets the senior person see people, society, and interaction, which makes them long for life. That is the core goal of the part-time employment program-we want our community to be vibrant, with every group taking part." H.H. concluded by explaining how the part-time system will work: "The part-time employment programme is divided into two types. The first is an hourly system, where the employee works just one or two hours a day, depending on their capability. The second is a daily system, where the employee works three non-consecutive days a week, resting after each working day. This programme doesn't fall under the financial calculations of the Human Resources Department-it has its own special system, which I created myself. We ask God to protect our seniors and grant them a dignified life."