UAE discusses its Emiratisation policy

Not everything about Emiratisation policy is positive, expert says.

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ABU DHABI // The UAE is walking a fine line between ensuring quality of life for its citizens and being economically competitive, officials said yesterday.

While they admitted the Emiratisation policy "hindered competitiveness", it was worth the gains for society as a whole.

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Members of the Emirates Competitiveness Council (ECC) joined the Ministry of Labour yesterday to discuss their ambition of ensuring the UAE is one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

Although the UAE leads the Arab world in sectors such as tourism, more work needs to done in other areas, said Najeeb al Ali, the EEC's director of policy and strategy.

"Competitiveness is the ability to achieve prosperity in the future with the level of productivity still remaining high," he said. "There should be a balance between productivity and quality of life. Having a quota for business to follow makes things harder for competitiveness."

He added that it was important for more Emiratis to enter the private sector and to become entrepreneurs. "This council aims to coordinate with different entities so that people know the importance of competitiveness," he said.

osalem@thenational.ae