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Abu Dhabi key government department sacks expat employees
| Published: | 9 Jul at 6 PM |
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Abu Dhabi’s top-rated government department has sacked the vast majority of its expat workers in order to free up the jobs for unemployed locals.
The General Secretariat of the Executive Council (GSEC), the administrative arm of the emirate’s most important government department, has culled most of the expat staff. Although it is not clear at present how many people have lost their jobs, an informed estimate puts the numbers between 40 and 70.
In spite of repeated attempts by the media, GSEC, the organisation which designs and implements the emirate’s strategic moves, is not answering reporters’ questions at the present time. Abu Dhabi is the biggest and wealthiest emirate in the UAE, and has the largest number of expat workers.
The majority of the Gulf states have relatively small populations and must rely on expatriates to fill key position in banks, the media, national airlines and oil and gas installations. Over the last several years, there has been increasing pressure within the Gulf state governments to shrink the expat workforce and employ local labour in order to tackle growing unemployment in the region.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the UAE’s prime minister, said in a statement earlier in the years that his priority was to reduce local unemployment and find jobs for all UAE citizens. The unemployment rate in the emirates at present is estimated at 14 per cent.
The General Secretariat of the Executive Council (GSEC), the administrative arm of the emirate’s most important government department, has culled most of the expat staff. Although it is not clear at present how many people have lost their jobs, an informed estimate puts the numbers between 40 and 70.
In spite of repeated attempts by the media, GSEC, the organisation which designs and implements the emirate’s strategic moves, is not answering reporters’ questions at the present time. Abu Dhabi is the biggest and wealthiest emirate in the UAE, and has the largest number of expat workers.
The majority of the Gulf states have relatively small populations and must rely on expatriates to fill key position in banks, the media, national airlines and oil and gas installations. Over the last several years, there has been increasing pressure within the Gulf state governments to shrink the expat workforce and employ local labour in order to tackle growing unemployment in the region.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the UAE’s prime minister, said in a statement earlier in the years that his priority was to reduce local unemployment and find jobs for all UAE citizens. The unemployment rate in the emirates at present is estimated at 14 per cent.
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