4 main challenges facing citizens looking for work

A recent study on the labor market in the UAE revealed that there are four main challenges facing citizens looking for work in the country, which is not to find a functional role appropriate to the researcher’s capabilities, and not to find a salary that suits the applicant’s expectations for the job, followed by the difficulty of communicating with employers, and finally the length of the evaluation process by the employer.

The study, which was conducted in cooperation between the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and the “Tusk” company specialized in the workforce solutions in the Middle East and North Africa region, on the labor market in the private sector for citizens for the current year, said that “the inappropriate job role” comes at the forefront of the challenges facing citizens looking for work, with a rate of 59.05%, where the majority of job seekers continues to face difficulties to find jobs that are in line with their skills And their professional aspirations, although this percentage shows a slight improvement compared to the past year, which reached 64%.

According to an opinion poll that included 2000 citizens who seek job seekers and employees in the private sector, and 450 employers, salaries related to salaries remain a major concern, as 51.43% of the participants indicated the difficulty of finding jobs that meet their financial expectations, which is a high rate compared to 40% last year.

The study stated that communication with potential employers has become less challenging, as only 30.10% of job seekers see a problem, compared to 42.67% last year. Likewise, a fewer candidates (27.54%) consider the evaluation process very long, in a clear decline than 34% in the past.

The study showed that there are six challenges facing employers when appointing citizens within the work team. The forefront comes from the unrealistic requirements of the salary, the lack of appropriate candidates, then the lack of technical competencies, and the inability to reach citizenship talents, as well as competition from other employers, in addition to other reasons.

The study indicated that the unrealistic expectations of salaries and the lack of appropriate candidates are one of the most prominent challenges facing employers in the private sector when employing Emirati national cadres, as 28.47% of the participants indicated these two anxiety.

Although the percentage of those who face problems associated with salary expectations is witnessing a decrease, it is still a gap between the expectations of the candidates and what the employers offer. Likewise, a lack of competencies is still a challenge, which indicates a continuous need to develop skills and ensure their compatibility with the market requirements.

Other prominent challenges include a lack of technical competencies by 13.40%, and the difficulty of accessing citizenship talents by 10.53%. The responses of employers also showed additional concerns, such as some candidates seeking shorter working hours, and their preference for a five -day business week, especially in sectors such as construction that requires longer working hours.

The study reviewed challenges facing employers when integrating citizen employees within the company, foremost of which is the requirements of unrealistic salary, cultural and cultural conformity, the communication barrier, and the lack of availability throughout the company’s standard working hours, and intensive training requirements, in addition to other reasons.

18.18% of the sample indicated that they are not facing any challenges.

The study emphasized that unrealistic salary expectations continue to be the most common challenge for employers in the private sector when merging the Emirati national cadres, at 50.48% of the research sample. Although this percentage is slightly lower compared to last year (55.36%), it still confirms the ongoing gap between the expectations of the candidates and the employers’ compensation structures.

In addition, 43.78% of the employers reached difficulties related to the lack of candidates during the regular working hours, with an increase in the percentage of last year (33.48%).

Other challenges include the need for intense training (29.19%) and obstacles to communication (by 21.05%).

It also stressed the responses of employers to the existence of additional concerns related to flexibility, initiative, and job commitment, which enhances the need for a better alignment between the expectations of the workplace and the willingness of the candidates.

The poll included a question directed at the citizen employees about providing them with sufficient opportunities for education and development, as 59% of them reported that they are getting enough opportunities for professional learning and development, but this percentage witnessed a slight decline compared to last year (62.56%).

This indicates that many employees still have opportunities for professional growth and skills development, but there is an increasing need to expand these programs or customize them better.

On the other hand, 41% of the participants believe that learning and development opportunities are not sufficient, a rate that increased compared to last year (37%), highlighting the presence of possible gaps in the ease of access to programs, their suitability, or the depth of training provided.

About 68.90% of employers in the private sector reported that they provide programs for professional learning and development for their citizen employees, which reflects a significant increase in commitment to qualify national competencies compared to last year (47.77%). This indicates that companies are increasingly investing in the development of the workforce in order to enhance employee skills and support their professional paths.

On the other hand, 22.25% of employers do not implement learning and development programs, while 8.85% have plans to launch them this year, highlighting the need for more expansion, especially in providing customized training initiatives that are in line with the aspirations of Emirati employees and the needs of the labor market.

• 59 %of the citizen employees in the private sector get enough opportunities for professional learning and development.

• 68.90 %of employers in the private sector provide professional development programs for their citizen employees.