2023-09-28 14:46:10 +00:00
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abstract: 'Purpose - The uncompromising preference of citizens for public sector
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employment throughout the Middle East is not new. However, with the
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recent saturation of the public sector job market and demographic
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pressures, it has grown to become a problem of unpredictable economic
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and social consequences. This paper aims to explore the factors
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determining career choice behaviour and the underlying career
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expectations and perceptions of young citizens in one Middle Eastern
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country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the preference for public
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sector employment is not only very strong, but is also perceived as
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increasingly problematic.
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Design/methodology/approach - Semi-structured interviews were conducted
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with a total of 60 UAE citizens in the age group of 18-23.
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Findings - The authors explore and discuss cognitive, social, and
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institutional factors that influence the job-seeking behaviour of young
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Emiratis and lead to negative attitudes towards the private sector. They
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further suggest potential causes of the very low private sector
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employment levels among UAE citizens and discuss their implications for
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policy makers. The authors argue for two main approaches: first, a focus
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on training and orientation of young citizens to enable them to
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confidently pursue job opportunities in the private sector. This may
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also include ways for providing young UAE citizens with private sector
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exposure, as 98 per cent of the national workforce is currently working
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in the public sector and a lot of what young UAE citizens think they
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know about the private sector is not founded in reality. Second,
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interventions to address structural and institutional challenges
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hindering employment of citizens including gaps in employment conditions
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and remuneration levels for citizens between the public and private
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employment sectors.
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Originality/value - While much previous research in this field has
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focused on the perceptions of employers, this is the first paper to
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actually explore the perceptions of those at the centre of the
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discussion young UAE citizens themselves.'
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affiliation: 'Forstenlechner, I (Corresponding Author), United Arab Emirates Univ,
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Fac Business \& Econ, Al Ain, U Arab Emirates.
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Al-Waqfi, Mohammed A.; Forstenlechner, Ingo, United Arab Emirates Univ, Fac Business
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\& Econ, Al Ain, U Arab Emirates.'
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author: Al-Waqfi, Mohammed A. and Forstenlechner, Ingo
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author-email: ingo@uaeu.ac.ae
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author_list:
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- family: Al-Waqfi
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given: Mohammed A.
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- family: Forstenlechner
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given: Ingo
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da: '2023-09-28'
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doi: 10.1108/00483481211249139
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eissn: 1758-6933
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files: []
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issn: 0048-3486
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journal: PERSONNEL REVIEW
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keywords: 'Localization; Jobseekers; Transitional economy; Middle East; Young UAE
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citizens; Emiratization; United Arab Emirates'
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keywords-plus: 'SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY; CAREER CHOICE; EMIRATISATION; UNEMPLOYMENT;
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EMPLOYMENT; BARRIERS; TIME; HRM'
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language: English
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number: 5-6
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number-of-cited-references: '48'
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orcid-numbers: Al Waqfi, Mohammed/0000-0001-5673-3818
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pages: 609-629
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papis_id: b8d6510a916e82dd3df433b8e2a5c2b0
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ref: Alwaqfi2012privatesector
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times-cited: '36'
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title: Of private sector fear and prejudice The case of young citizens in an oil-rich
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Arabian Gulf economy
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2023-10-01 08:15:07 +00:00
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type: article
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2023-09-28 14:46:10 +00:00
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unique-id: WOS:000311268800004
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usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
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usage-count-since-2013: '18'
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volume: '41'
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web-of-science-categories: Industrial Relations \& Labor; Psychology, Applied; Management
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year: '2012'
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