Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has announced the launch of a new drive to boost the Emirati workforce in the private sector.

Sheikh Mohammed, after leading a meeting of the UAE Cabinet at Expo 2020 Dubai on Monday, said the government would provide “additional incentives” for companies supporting the employment of citizens.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Vice President, pledged that Emiratis would “remain a priority” in regards to job opportunities as well as housing, development and education.

“Today, we have adopted a new policy for classifying private sector establishments in a way that supports the objectives and plans of Emiratisation, provides additional incentives for companies supporting the employment of citizens, and consolidates the government's partnership with the private sector in this field,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

“The citizen is the compass of the government and the role of the government is to establish an effective balance between our rapid economic growth and the provision of a better and more generous life for our citizens.”

The UAE set out plans in September to ensure 10 per cent of the private-sector workforce were citizens in the next five years.

A series of initiatives were launched to increase the number of Emirati private-sector workers by 75,000, by 2026, as part of the Nafis programme.

These included paid training programmes, subsidies for Emiratis working in the private sector and support for local entrepreneurs looking to leave the public sector and start up their own companies.

More than 2,000 Emiratis joined the UAE's private sector in the first three months of the major recruitment drive.

The private was one of a series of policies on the agenda at the meeting.

Source: The National