Nationalisation

We are committed to recruiting and retaining Gulf Nationals in support of national economic wellbeing and prosperity.

24%
GCC nationalisation rate (regionally)
77%
Saudi nationalisation rate
in response to new legislation

Key Stories

An important challenge

We strive to attract and support local talent in all the countries we operate in and believe in fostering meaningful careers for national talent at all stages of their professions.

Across many of our countries, we run specific programmes to ensure we are attracting, developing and retaining local talent.

With regulations changing and quotas growing, nationalisation of the workforce is a more pressing issue. In 2018, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia passed legislation aimed at increasing nationals' participation in the workforce, particularly in the private sector, to reduce unemployment rates among Saudis. This legislation, which includes a focus on the retail sector, is being phased in with ambitious timescales, and we have acted fast to comply with the new regulations. We have reached a 77% Saudi Nationalisation Rate, including both front line and back office employees.

The National Development Programmes for UAE Nationals

Our various National Development Programmes are an important element of our Emiratisation agenda. We are driven by our vision to attract, nurture, empower and develop local talents throughout our organisation. We seek to utilise and optimise on their capabilities to contribute to the growth of the Group and the Nation. We focus on offering 2 key development programs which are the Emirati Graduate Program for fresh graduates and our Retail Development Program for high school graduates.

Our target is to reach 3.5% Emiratisation by the end of 2019.

The Injaz Innovation Camp

We continue to engage in activities like Injaz Innovation Camp.

Over many years, INJAZ has established itself as a valuable center, linking public, private and civil society organisations as well as bridging the skills gaps between educational systems and the changing needs of the labor market.

During the past year, over 100 Nationals in UAE and Kuwait took part in a camp designed to provide local students with skills on how to boost their career skillset. This formed part of a wider initiative to support the local population and create an opportunity to acquire talented nationals.

Tawteen Partners Club

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation awarded Chalhoub Group a silver membership in Tawteen Partners club for our efforts in acquiring and empowering UAE nationals during 2018.

This membership will further our strategic partnership with MOHRE and enhance the national human resources workforce participation in private sector. National efforts in the workplace will actively take part in realising UAE Vision 2021, which includes the objective to move towards forming a competitive knowledge economy led by Emirati talent.