Ipic plans to hire 500 UAE nationals in next three years

The Abu Dhabi government owned Ipic plans to hire 500 Emiratis for positions at its various subsidiaries.

Visitors at the Tawdheef Recruitment Show in Abu Dhabi . Satish Kumar / The National
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International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) plans to hire 500 UAE nationals over the next three years, effectively tripling the size of its workforce.

Ipic, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi Government, said jobs are up for grabs at Fujairah Refinery Project, the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline Project, ChemaWEyaat and Emirates LNG.

“The first option for us in filling each position will be an Emirati, but if we end up recruiting a non-local we will take on three Emiratis as trainees to develop their knowledge under him,” said Mohamed Abdulla Al Suwaidi, the energy conglomerate’s director of business support.

Ipic’s recruitment drive comes after Arabtec, whose major shareholder is the Abu Dhabi investment fund Aabar, said last week that it planned to target 10,000 young people in the UAE, the wider Gulf and the wider Middle East region. The first target will be UAE nationals, Arabtec said. The company said it hired 3,000 recruits last year.

Ipic’s hiring drive is part of a wider project by the Abu Dhabi Government to bring more Emiratis into the private sector. Traditionally, the public sector has been the first choice among locals, given the salaries and benefits.

The emirate is also building new industries and reducing government reliance on oil, through projects such as Mubadala’s Strata plant, which has struck deals with Boeing and Airbus for the supply of aircraft parts, and the nuclear project in Al Gharbia (Western Region).

halsayegh@thenational.ae