Only 56% Emiratisation could be realised last year, says federal report

A parliamentary report has revealed that 3,971 male and female individuals had been appointed to federal government positions in 2024, out of a total of 6,200 created in last year's budget for government entities. Of these, 2,214 were citizens, representing 56 per cent of the total positions.

Meanwhile, the total number of non-citizens appointed reached 1,757, representing 44 per cent.

This reflects the challenges of replacing national cadres, particularly given the ongoing shortage of key specialisms such as education, health and engineering. Consequently, 2,229 job vacancies remain unfilled. A copy of the report, obtained by Al Khaleej, indicated that 5,043 new job vacancies were created in 2023, but only 3,638 of these were filled. Of these, 1,910 were filled by citizens and 1,728 by non-citizens. In 2022, 2,446 vacancies were created, 2,953 of which were filled, including 1,458 by citizens and 1,495 by non-citizens.

In 2021, 2,100 vacancies were created, 1,902 of which were filled, including 961 by citizens and 941 by non-citizens.

The report indicated that Emiratisation targets had not been achieved during the 2023-2024 fiscal period, based on the number of positions actually filled compared to the total number of vacancies. Last year, 44 per cent of appointments to vacant positions in federal government agencies were made to non-citizens.

Despite the allocation of a large number of jobs, he stated that the Emiratisation rate reached only 56 per cent of the total vacant positions during the 2024 fiscal year. This percentage falls short of the country's aspirations to increase the number of Emirati employees, which is a worrying indicator given the shortage of strategic specialities such as education, health and engineering.

It also highlights the discrepancy between educational outcomes and the required specialisms, as well as the unattractiveness of jobs in the federal sector, given that the federal government salary schedule has not been updated since 2012.

The report also stated that, given the ongoing failure to meet appointment targets within federal government entities, unused financial allocations have been made for the years 2023–2024 to cover the costs of promotions and appointments within ministries and federal entities.

The cost of positions that became vacant after the implementation of the early retirement programme at all federal entities, which ended in 2022, was deducted.

An allocation of Dhs249 million was made for 2024 and Dhs276 million for 2023. This reflects the challenges of replacing national cadres and filling vacant positions in the absence of clarity over the mechanisms for transferring retirees' expertise or replacing them with qualified national competencies, which will have a negative impact on the achievement of Emiratisation targets in federal entities.

Conversely, several Federal National Council members questioned why 35 per cent of the budget allocated for vacant positions in 2024 was not utilised, and why 44 per cent of the appointed positions were filled by non-citizens. They emphasised that any position that a citizen can fill is a right of the citizen and should not be assigned to anyone else.

Najla Ali Al Shamsi, a Council member, emphasised that many jobs in government agencies have gone to non-citizens, despite us seeking employment for our children in the private sector through 'Nafis'. Dr. Mariam Obaid Al Badawi, a council member, said that 35 per cent of the budget allocated for vacant positions in 2024, representing more than a third of the budget for government sector jobs, went unused.

Furthermore, 44 per cent went to non-citizens. If the excuse is a lack of qualified nationals to fill these positions, the question arises: What has happened to the plans adopted by higher education policies to match university graduates with the labour market? Dr. Nidal Mohammed Al Tunaiji, a council member, explained that we raised the same observations regarding vacant positions last year.

"We are looking beyond the numbers of vacant positions and those appointed to them, as well as the impact of these numbers on social and economic development," Dr. Al Tunaiji said. She pointed out that there are vacant positions for which allocations are available, and that there are lists of graduates waiting for an opportunity to secure a job that would provide them with a good social life and family stability. However, these amounts are returned to the government budget because they are considered surplus, and not using them to fill these positions is a challenge.