DUBAI, 12 July 2003 — Millions of foreign tourists are assured of a warm welcome on the sunny shores of the United Arab Emirates, but it is not from the locals, only 15 of whom work in the hospitality industry. The 15 Emiratis, three of whom are women, make up a paltry 0.2 percent of the total workforce of 7,362, according to a survey by the UAE’s Center for Labor Market Research and Information.
At a time when 13,000 citizens enter the labor market annually and tourism is touted as one of the country’s main growth engines in coming years, the survey said the average Emirati deemed hotel work too hard and underpaid. They were discouraged by long working hours, multiple shifts, low pay, and the perception that hotel work was low-grade and service-oriented, it said.
