Young Emiratis are most motivated by ‘helping the country’ found first-of-its-kind research report launched at VIP Summit in Abu Dhabi

Oxford Strategic Consulting and BP presented the results of a major research initiative on Emirati talent during the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development’s 2nd Business Breakfast on September 22nd at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi. The report captures groundbreaking insights from young Emiratis preparing to enter the UAE workforce.

Professor William Scott-Jackson of Oxford Strategic Consulting explained that ‘the private sector, especially, is in a great position to attract and retain great Emirati talent; however, employers must understand the motivations and attitudes of young Emiratis in order to attract the best talent. Our research identifies these key motivations and aspirations.’ He also demonstrated why leadership is the critical capability for the UAE and gave three simple recommendations, based on the research, on how the Government could make a real difference to employment in the private sector.

The report found that young Emiratis are most motivated by ‘helping the country’ (41%). While both students and employers admit that money is an important motivator, employers significantly overstate its importance (at 63%), whereas only 38% of students believe money to be a key motivator. ‘Challenge’, ‘development’ and ‘contributing to society’ also serve as important motivators for young Emiratis (at 37%, 36% and 33% respectively).

The report focuses on maximising the development of Emirati talent in engineering, but in fact the findings apply to all sectors. BP, a major employer in the UAE’s energy sector, commissioned the report as part of its commitment to prepare young Emiratis for vital technical and leadership roles within the industry.

“The research provides valuable lessons for ourselves in recruitment and human resource development and we hope the findings are helpful also for our host governments, our partners and the oil and gas sector in general,” said AbdulKarim AlMazim, President and General Manager of BP UAE.

The report also found that many Emirati students in high school, college and university felt that developing a sense of responsibility was the most important skill required for the work place. The in-depth interviews conducted by Oxford Strategic Consulting suggest that respondents understood that work-life was very different from student-life, but they lacked sufficient preparation—not least in the obligations and duties of the workplace.

The Emirates Foundation Business Breakfast was followed in the afternoon by the fourth Fellows’ Summit of the elite Gulf Talent Advisory Board (GTAB), a fellowship composed of leading HR professionals in the GCC region. The GTAB Summit was presided over by Professor William Scott-Jackson, who led a discussion with the GTAB Fellows on the Gulf Arab Leadership Style and produce a set of recommendations that will be widely published in the GCC.