The UAE had set up specialist committees three years ago to attract more talent to the country, according to a minister in the country. With changes to its immigration system, like introduction of the Golden Visa, and the safety and stability that the country offers, more and more bright minds are choosing to live here.
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While speaking at the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) that kicked off in Sharjah on Wednesday, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention, said the country is working tirelessly to achieve its dream.
“The UAE is currently positioned 22nd globally in talent attraction and retention; our aim is to be among the top 10 countries in seven years,” he said.
“It is easier to attract talent but harder to retain them, especially the Internet-oriented Generation Z. Convincing them to work with you or sustaining their interest for long is the challenge.”
Focus on education sector
Dr. Al Zeyoudi said the UAE was working to “using education as a tool to attract talent at an early age” and explained why that was important.
“Bright minds often travel to study,” he said. “If you take the case of Australia, one of the most important sectors of the country is education. Huge development happened due to education. There are other countries, like Denmark and Finland, that have also capitalised on the education sector. They have attracted people to certain majors. Countries are focusing on bringing in students hone and utilise their talents.”
His fellow panelist Moroccan inventor Rachid Yazami commended the country for the work it was doing. “The UAE is known for its stability,” he said. “This is an important aspect for anyone looking to settle down. Now, it I not very difficult to go to the next step. They should be aiming for the next Nobel Prize winner to be from the UAE.”
Marketing strategy
Rachid also detailed how a government official from Singapore approached him to move to the country. “I was teaching in California and he convinced me to move,” he said. “I have been there for 14 years and the about 30 per cent of the faculty in our university is foreigners. Singapore really does a good job of attracting top talents.”
Dr. Al Zeyoudi agreed that different countries have different marketing strategies to bring in bright minds. “For example, Denmark and Finland were able to attract scientist in the digital sector,” he said. “Singapore and Switzerland chose to approach bright minds through direct communication. UAE used its soft power to attract businesses so that they would set up here. Depending on the needs of the country, they design strategies, which can be sectoral, general or focus on one industry.”
They were joined by minister Simon Cobu from the Polynesian island country Tuvalu with a population of just 10,000 people. “We launched a campaign to become the first digital country in the world,” he said. “Due to global warming, Tuvalu is at risk of being completely submerged over the next few decades. As the first digital nation, Tuvalu will continue to exist digitally forever.”