Emiratisation

Emiratisation (or Emiratization) is an initiative by the government of the United Arab Emirates to employ its citizens in a meaningful and efficient manner in the public and private sectors.

While the program has been in place for more than a decade and results can be seen in the public sector, the private sector is still lagging behind with citizens only representing 0.34% of the private sector workforce. In the UAE workplace, much better treatment is afforded to Emiratis than expatriates. And due to government social security payments, many locals would rather not go to work in menial jobs. However, unemployment is rising and in Abu Dhabi as many as 11.6 percent of Emiratis are unemployed.