According to a report in tradearabia.com, finding jobs for UAE citizens is one of the government’s top priorities, the prime minister told hundreds of state officials on Monday during a forum to discuss his economic policies.
The unusual event underlined the urgency with which leaders in the UAE and other Gulf states are trying to boost employment among their citizens.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum addressed some 1,700 government employees at the two-hour forum. The public could pose questions to the prime minister through a website.
“It’s a priority of the entire leadership. We are pressing ahead with this,” Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Dubai’s ruler, said in answer to a question about employment policy. “We are facing different challenges but this will remain unchanged.”
Sheikh Mohammed said the government was working on a project to employ 120,000 UAE nationals, but did not give details. He also urged private companies to hire more UAE citizens, but did not announce new incentives or requirements for them to do so.