Thousands Of Expat Government Jobs Should Be Filled By Emiratis

During a meeting last Wednesday, Abu Dhabi’s Federal National Council members were told that 8,000 government admin public sector jobs at present done by expats should be given over to Emirati citizens.

Council members expressed their concerns over the high rate of unemployment in the country to Minister of State for Higher Education and chair of the Federal Authority for Human Resources Dr Ahmad al Qubaisi. Several other council members told the meeting they knew of thousands of Emiratis who wish to work but are unable to find jobs and are asking when they will be able to be recruited.

Concerns about finding jobs for the thousands of university students who graduate every year were brought forward and linked with another member’s reminder that the federal government’s new strategy encourages hiring Emiratis to fill positions left open by retiring expat workers. Filling eight thousand expat jobs with Emirati workers will not even scratch the surface of the need for employment of an ever-increasing pool of graduates.

Meanwhile in Dubai, concerned citizens are questioning the over-use of plastic bags and other containers. It seems the human race cannot now live without its addiction to plastic, whilst the planet can’t live with it.

Consultant Karmel Abourah dreams about a world without plastic, saying she’s tired to go green, but always gets sucked back into using plastic simply because it’s everywhere. She feels bad every time she reads about the damage it’s causing to the environment. Her own efforts, she says, are a drop in the polluted ocean, adding it’s governments who should take on the burden of limiting the use of the material by finding economic alternatives.

She lists plastic bottles, disposable cups and plates as well as endless numbers of plastic shopping bags. Another expat congratulated local supermarkets for encouraging the use of reusable bags by selling them in their stores, but would like to see a rewards system for those who buy and use them.

One British woman working in Dubai doubts her life would be so easy without disposable plastics. Plastic cutlery, she said, is hygienic in the office environment, and take-out meals are presented with them so there’s no need to wash up cutlery after you’ve finished your office lunch. However, everyone agrees the use of glass rather than plastic water bottles is acceptable.