‘Private sector’ Emiratisation: job satisfaction and sociocultural influences

Rutledge, Emilie and Alkaabi, Khaled (2017): ‘Private sector’ Emiratisation: job satisfaction and sociocultural influences.

Abstract

Purpose — To gauge the job satisfaction levels of UAE nationals employed in the (‘real’ and quasi-) private sector. Despite private sector Emiratisation (labour market nationalisation) having been in place since the late 1990s and considered a strategic government priority in 2007, the numbers of nationals employed in the private sector as a ratio to those employed in the public sector remains particularly low.

Design/methodology/approach — This study is based on a survey of 653 nationals employed in the non-classic sector (i.e., working at commercially-run entities). The instrument used was based on the Job Satisfaction Survey construct and assessed, inter alia, the impact of sectoral pay and benefit discrepancies and prevailing societal sentiment towards the ‘appropriacy’ of pursuing a non-conventional career path.

Findings — statistically significant relationships between the dependent variable of “continuance intentions” and various predictor variables were observed: β .399 for salary and benefits; whilst sociocultural influences was found to have a significant and negative relationship, β -.423.

Originality/value — This research can help in a) identifying and prioritising the economic and social issues that are impacting the pace of Emiratisation and b) in understanding what incentives and measures can be useful and effective for the operational implementation of labour nationalisation policies throughout the Arab Gulf and therefore adds to the growing body of literature on an Arab Middle East HRM model.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Arab Gulf labour markets; UAE; Emiratisation; labour nationalisation; job satisfaction; Job Satisfaction Survey.
• Subjects: J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J0 - General > J08 - Labor Economics Policies; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J21 - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J4 - Particular Labor Markets > J45 - Public Sector Labor Markets; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J6 - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers > J61 - Geographic Labor Mobility ; Immigrant Workers; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J8 - Labor Standards: National and International > J82 - Labor Force Composition

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