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Middle East Edition
23rd September 2021
 
THE HOT STORY
Post-pandemic Saudi and UAE employment is up by as much as 70%
Employment levels in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are up by between 50% and 70%, according to LinkedIn research. Ali Mater, LinkedIn’s head of the Middle East division, said the increase was fuelled by a surge in the retail sector. Mater also observed that digital skills top the list of requirements in the local labour market, followed by customer service experience. Meanwhile, a LinkedIn poll of 1,000 professionals in Saudi Arabia and the UAE indicates that most employees feel comfortable practicing their work remotely, but 70% also think this may precipitate a decline in their social skills. "Companies worldwide are facing a dilemma in reconciling the contradiction between employees' desire to work remotely, and their increased risk of job burnout as a result," Matar added.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Troubled workers can raise employee anxiety levels
Research suggests that levels of anxiety, depression and stress among an organization’s employees can be raised when a troubled new worker joins the business. A study published online in the Administrative Science Quarterly finds that hiring a professional who was previously diagnosed with at least one of these ailments increases the incidence rate, or the number of co-workers at the new organization who develop similar diagnoses, by about 6.32%. The study examined 250,000 employees at 17,000 companies in Denmark between 1996 and 2015. “The paper looks at the spread of mental health disorders through an epidemiological lens,” said study co-author Julia Kensbock, an assistant professor at the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics in the Netherlands. Viewed from this perspective, she says, mental health disorders can spread from one organization to another through new hires.
CULTURE
Keeping employees happy in a post-COVID-19 work culture
On the occasion of International Week of Happiness at Work, Zawya’s Jennifer Webster rounds up some tips from local professionals on how to improve the workplace in the UAE and beyond. Sarah Dixon, the managing director for the Gulf region for recruitment specialists Hays, says happiness in the workplace is “fundamental” to productivity and success, observing “A main happiness factor is establishing a culture of inclusivity, one that is open and transparent and where the tone is set from the very top . . . Leaders should encourage constant input and feedback from employees, be honest where any challenges arise, take appropriate action, and really promote positivity.” Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, Philippe Gas, CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company, says a comfortable and conducive work environment is integral to a “more productive, engaged and happy workforce,” adding “We have launched a series of activities and platforms to keep our most important asset, our employees, connected and happy.”
WORKFORCE
Kuwait reports severe shortage of foreign workers
Kuwait's restaurant and hotel sector is experiencing a severe shortage of workers due to the suspension of recruitment from abroad, Al Qabas newspaper has reported.  Fahd Al Arbash, Head of the Restaurants Association, observes that “restaurant owners have been unable to operate properly due to the suspension of the recruitment of foreign workers and scarcity of specialised workers with experience such as cooks, bakers, sweets makers and others.” He noted that the local labour pool is not specialised in restaurant operations and it is not easy to train them to join the food industry.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Transguard Group is to upskill more than 35,000 employees
UAE-headquartered business solutions provider Transguard Group says more than 35,000 employees have so far received cross-platform training and upskilling opportunities four years after the launch of the company’s Centre of Excellence.  Greg Ward, Managing Director, said: “Offering every member of our team an equal opportunity to grow their career is a cornerstone of our human resources strategy; empowering our employees with diversified skill sets enables us to better serve the UAE,” adding “Offering multi-skill training in other disciplines opens up new career pathways for our workforce. We have a gratifying number of employees who join us in entry level positions but work their way up to more skilled roles, both at site and in our headquarters."
LEGAL
DIFC issues amendments to the Employment Law and regulations
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region’s leading international financial hub, has announced amendments to the Employment Law. The Board of Directors of the DIFC Authority has also issued new Employment Regulations, which brings the Qualifying Scheme regime under the Employment law in line with DFSA's Employee Money Purchase Scheme, so that only a single layer of regulation is applied to these schemes. The amendments to the Employment Law clarify the application of limitation periods to claims made under the Employment Law, the accrual of vacation leave, the duration of the probationary period for short term fixed-term contracts, and certain defined terms used in the law. The Amendment Law also modifies the basic workplace health and safety requirements under the Employment Law, to account for working from home arrangements.
TECHNOLOGY
Robots replace humans as labour shortages bite
Logistics and delivery companies are automating their businesses to tackle labour shortages as the monotony of some jobs makes recruiting and retaining workers harder, and customer orders become increasingly complex.
STRATEGY
Morocco plans to set up state-run utilities
Morocco aims to set up state-owned utilities in charge of water, electricity and sewage management to replace local units of French companies Veolia and Suez, an interior ministry official has said. Mustapha El Hadi of the interior ministry said employees of the utilities currently operating will join the state companies to be created.
INTERNATIONAL
Allianz to speed up succession planning amid investor lawsuits
German insurer Allianz is weighing an accelerated succession plan for its management board, including for asset management head Jacqueline Hunt whose contract expires next year, as the company faces several investor lawsuits over its Structured Alpha Funds and related investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Germany's Bafin following the closure of some of its U.S. investment funds last year. The various investigations and lawsuits are centred on Allianz Global Investor's Structured Alpha Funds, which catered to U.S. pension funds for workers including teachers and subway employees. The 25 lawsuits filed by investors claim $6bn in damages, and say the insurer didn’t provide downside protection for market crashes after the funds plunged in response to the pandemic hitting markets. Allianz's lawyers contend the investors were sophisticated and aware of the risks.
EY announces almost 1,000 new jobs for Irish cities
EY has announced plans to create 816 new jobs across five counties in Ireland. This announcement will bring the headcount for EY to over 4,200 across the island of Ireland. 606 of the roles will be Dublin-based, while the remaining 210 roles will be located in Cork, Galway, Belfast, Limerick and Waterford. Commenting on the move, Frank O’Keeffe, Managing Partner, EY Ireland, said: “Our plans […] reflect the continuing strong growth of EY across the island of Ireland and the evolution we’re seeing amongst our client base. The fundamental changes brought about by the pandemic, coupled with wider macroeconomic headwinds and shifting business models, have created increased demand for our services as we help our clients tackle their most complex business challenges.”
Dutch employers lag on attitudes to diversity
Employers in the Netherlands consider issues of diversity and equality to be important in the workplace, but primarily for staff well-being rather than for impact on corporate success, according to a poll of 2,200 companies across 14 European countries. Overall, 38% of respondents said they expected diverse teams to be more innovative and 37% said investing in equality and diversity would precipitate improved business results. But just 23% of Dutch employers thought diversity measures would lead to more innovation and 19% said they would boost business performance. The survey, carried out by HR software company Workday, also found that 21% of Dutch respondents see diversity as a source of workplace conflict and polarisation.
OTHER
U.N. chief takes aim at billionaires in space
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has told the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly at United Nations headquarters in New York that the three billionaires who journeyed  into space this summer have helped spread “a malady of mistrust” and underscored the gap between the rich and poor. In July, billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos flew into space on private rockets that their companies built, and billionaire Jared Isaacman led the first all-private orbital mission that splashed down Saturday after three days in orbit. Guterres invoked an image of “billionaires joyriding to space while millions go hungry on Earth” and at a time “when parents see a future for their children that looks even bleaker than the struggles of today.”

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