UAE Sees 20% Rise In Job Changers

The number of workers changing jobs in the UAE is on the rise due to government measures to attract and retain the best talent.

Omar Al Nuaimi, assistant undersecretary for policies and planning at the Ministry of Labour, told Gulf Business that the number of employees moving jobs in the UAE had increased by up to a fifth in 2013.

“We have seen at least a 15 to 20 per cent increase in levels of mobility during the last year. In 2013, 70,000 workers actually moved between employers within the UAE job market,” he said.

Al Nuaimi was speaking on the sidelines of the Human Assets Expansion Summit in Dubai, where he delivered a speech on the UAE’s plans to increase internal worker mobility.

He told the audience that there was an intense global competition to attract the best talent.

“Talented people are becoming more and more global and mobile. So keeping that in mind we have introduced several policies to increase the attraction and retention of talent.”

“One of those policies that we are currently pursuing is increasing the internal mobility within the labour market of the UAE. We believe that increased internal mobility will allow workers to move to better jobs in which they fit better, they produce more and they are more satisfied.”

“Hence they become likely to stay in the country and to contribute to its efforts towards achieving a knowledge based economy.”

The UAE’s measures to help workers move within the labour market include allowing those whose contracts have ended to change jobs without permission from their previous employer.

The country also allows highly skilled workers to move jobs before a two-year period without the permission of the previous employer, depending on the contract terms.

Al Nuaimi said that one of the ways the UAE was ensuring the best workers came to the UAE instead of local rivals like Qatar was ensuring workers had their rights preserved.

“We make sure that when a highly skilled or even any worker comes to the UAE he understands his rights and his rights are preserved and safe.”

“We also make sure that workers receive, if they are working in construction for example, adequate accommodations, they receive adequate health and monetary benefits and that they receive their salaries and wages on time.”