A recruitment drive has been launched by Emirates Airline in order to try to increase the number of Emiratis in its workforce.

Emirates is represented by as many as 20,000 cabin crew, but the citizens of the United Arab Emirates among them number just 50.

In order to attract more Emirati citizens to cabin crew jobs, Emirates Group’s executive vice president of human resources Abdulaziz Ali says that it intends to introduce new uniforms that include trousers for women in addition to attractive salary packages.

There are also plans to allow cabin staff to wear hijabs.

Ali spoke on Wednesday at a roundtable discussion and said that there are currently 3,200 open jobs at the airline, most of which are for positions within the cabin crew.

Ali says that the airline is in need of more nationals from the UAE.

Ali notes that Emiratis have not expressed a lot of interest due to concerns over what the jobs may entail.

Among the reasons that UAE nationals seem reluctant to apply for such a position are frequent travel, issues with serving alcohol, and the required uniform.

Ali says that a trouser option is now available for female Emirati cabin crew and that they are also hoping to adapt the hijab.

The basic starting salary for Emirates cabin crew is Dh18,000 per month – this sum includes an allowance for accommodation.

However, a lot of Emirati citizens tend to prefer travelling just within GCC countries, a request that can be difficult to accommodate given the nature of the work and the complicated scheduling that this would involve.

Ali points out that the job is an essential one that represents Emirates’ high standards, adding that the airline wants more UAE nationals on board to represent it.

Recruits to the airline are also given a retention allowance that ranges from Dh4,260 to Dh5,000 every month.

Ali adds that an increase in salary occurs after the first six months of employment and there is also the chance to put in an application for other cabin crew job grades.

The full cabin crew training time is five weeks.

The Ruler and Vice President of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid wrote an open letter last month addressing government work and the ways that Emiratisation could be improved all across the board.

Sheikh Mohammed said that giving jobs to Emiratis has always been a priority, and will continue to remain so.

The Emiratisation campaign has been launched by the UAE government in order to overcome the labour market’s structural division.

The campaign mandates that Emiratis should be included in the job sector and the private sector especially.

A number of organisations in the government and the private sector have responded to the call to action to increase the number of Emiratis in their workforce.

Anyone who travels with Emirates or any other airline in the UAE will need to take out travel insurance.

Travel insurance offers financial protection from the possibility of illness or theft occurring while away from home.

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