Talent Attraction & Retention Committee reviews latest developments in the implementation of talent attraction initiatives

H.E. Al Zeyoudi: Thanks to our wise leadership’s directives, the UAE has made great progress in developing an integrated system to ensure the inflow of talent & creative ideas to the country

The Talent Attraction and Retention Committee held its fourth meeting, chaired by H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in charge of Talent Attraction and Retention. The meeting reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the UAE’s Talent Attraction & Retention Strategy, and the results of an executive directors’ survey on the availability of talent in the country. Also discussed was the re-evaluation of the implementation of the executive regulations of Federal Decree-Law No. 29 of 2021 on the entry and residency of foreign nationals to/in the country and the decisions issued in this regard. Besides, the meeting followed up on the implementation of the recommendations put forward by the previous meetings of the committee.

H.E. Al Zeyoudi affirmed that the UAE, thanks to the directives and vision of its wise leadership, has paid great attention to developing an integrated system to attract talent and creative ideas to the country following international best practices. These measures are designed to empower them in all priority strategic sectors, as the UAE believes in the key role of talent in driving the growth of national economy and solidifying the country’s position as a preferred global destination for talent.

H.E. said: “The committee continues its efforts to launch more supportive initiatives and policies to enhance the UAE's efforts to ensure a conducive environment for talent and competencies to prosper.”

Based on the results of the survey of executive directors, the committee decided to assign a work team to propose new initiatives, projects and programs that could be implemented in the next stage to support talent attraction to the country.

Furthermore, the committee reviewed its accomplishments with regard to several initiatives related to the achievement of its goals. These include three initiatives supervised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, apart from another three supervised by the Ministry of Education.

The meeting also witnessed a review of several proposals and improvements that can be discussed in the future, especially with regard to the country’s residency system.

The Talent Attraction and Retention Committee works to achieve objectives across four main axes, namely: the implementation of the national strategic objective to attract talent to the country's markets; ensuring availability of strategic talent to contribute to building a knowledge economy; consolidation of  the UAE’s position as an ideal destination for talent; increasing the country’s competitiveness in the areas of talent attraction and retention and raising its position on WEF’s global competitiveness indicators.

The committee comprises of representatives from Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development, the Ministry of Culture and Youth, the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, the Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi, and the Department of Economy and Tourism – Dubai, The Emirates Scientists Council, and the UAE Council for Artificial Intelligence. The UAE Cabinet's decision regarding the UAE Talent Attraction & Retention Strategy served as the foundation for the committee's formation.