| Kippreport.com

UAE Labour update

January 23, 2011 2:14 by Eva Fernandes

Though the labour market is apparently tied up by regulations, 2011 is proving to be a much more promising year than the previous two. Market conditions are picking up and many companies are looking to hire, according to reports. Konstantina Sakellariou, Partner, Marketing & Operations Director at Stanton Chase, an executive search firm focused on hiring at the senior levels told Emirates 24|7 most companies in the UAE are done with downsizing and are focusing on hiring in 2011: “Hiring will be stronger in specialised positions in the industrial sector, in the financial sector and in technology.” Not in real estate and construction though, of course.

Kipp’s genuinely pleased to hear such speculations, even if they are mere speculations. And considering the two articles we read this morning in the local press, we hope the ‘troubled’ youth of the country will be just as pleased. In its feature titled “A labyrinth called future” Khaleej Times notes the anxiety UAE youth feel about their futures.

Twenty-year-old Roshan G told the paper: “Sometimes I feel hopeless and helpless but I know I’m not depressed. I don’t know how to explain it but I have no idea what I want as a career and sometimes it feels like there’s no point in striving for something (…). I don’t know what to do with my life.”

Sounds pretty typical for every 20 year old, thinks Kipp. But apparently not everyone agrees. The National reports that Roshan G isn’t alone in his confusion – and many confused youths are turning to psychologists for council, it says. Psychologist Devika Singh from the Dubai Herbal Treatment Centre told The National that students share their anxieties about their future during group sessions held at the centre where they can also take Pearson’s written assessment, the Interest Determination, Exploration and Assessment System. Whatever that is.

Perhaps Kipp should be more sympathetic. After all, we’ve all been through that phase of not knowing what to do with our lives – it must be especially tough for youngsters in these austere times. So let’s all hope that the reports of a recovering jobs market are accurate. If not, it sounds like there will be plenty of work for psychologists.

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