Is Your Company Ready For The 2020 Workforce?

Dr. Fida Afiouni
American University of Beirut
Lebanon
fa16@aub.edu.lb
Is Your Company Ready
For The 2020 Workforce?

Outline
How to get ready for the 2020 workforce?
Current HR practices and policies
Workforce Perspective on work and life
priorities
Overview of the 2020 workforce

An overview of the 2020
workforce
Forecasted Economic growth
• Gulf countries continue to enjoy
higher economic growth than the
global average, thanks to high oil
prices (Gulftalent, 2014).

GDP Growth Rate 2009-2014
(Gulftalent, 2014, p.6).

Economic growth and employment
are being affected by tensions in parts
of the Arab world
(Gulftalent, 2014, p.8).

workforce
• Nonetheless, the region is gaining
greater international prominence likely
to boost investment and employment
(Gulftalent, 2014)

workforce
• Job creation among GCC
countries:
• 51 % of companies in UAE
increased headcount (Gulftalent,
2014) and this trend is likely to
continue.

Net percentage of firms which
increased headcount

An Overview of the 2020
workforce
Workforce Composition
–The increased participation of
nationals
–The bursting pipeline of women
–The Youth Bulge

workforce
• Currently, the UAE have the largest
percentage of foreign labor (88%),
while in Saudi-Arabia and Oman this
percentage is respectively 72 % and
54 %.
Forstenlechner, I., & Rutledge, E. J. (2011); Mashood, N., Verhoeven, H., & Chansarkar, B. (2009, April)

workforce
• The commitment to reduce the
number of expatriates in the GCC via
state-led labor market policies of
Bahrainization, Omanization,
Saudization, and Emiratization will lead
to a higher number of nationals within
the workforce.
Forstenlechner, I., & Rutledge, E. J. (2011); Mashood, N., Verhoeven, H., & Chansarkar, B. (2009, April)

workforce
• The Bursting Pipeline of Women
• Women in UAE, Qatar, and Saudi
Arabia constitute 60 %, 62 %, and
57 %, respectively, of university
graduates
Shehadi, R., Hoteit, L., Tarazi, K., & Lamaa, A. (2011).

workforce
• The Bursting Pipeline of Women
• Despite these education levels, the
percentage of women in the labor
force in GCC countries is significantly
lower than other developed
economies
• Get Ready for the Bursting Pipeline!!

Women’s Workforce
Participation in the GCC
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL FEMALES, AGE 15+
Shehadi, R., Hoteit, L., Tarazi, K., & Lamaa, A. (2011). p.3

The High Education / Low Employment
Paradox in Arab Countries
Labour Force
Participation Rate 2009
(HDR 2011 pp 139-142)
Tertiary education -
2010
(HDR 2011)
Tertiary education
(Global education Digest 2011)
Female Male Gross enrollment
Female
(with respect to
total enrollment)
Male
(With respect
to total
enrollment)
Qatar 49.90% 93% 10.20% 62% 38%
Kuwait 45.40% 82.50% 18.90% NA NA
U.A.E 41.90% 92.10% 30.40% 60% 40%
Bahrain 32.40% 85% 51.20% NA NA
Oman 25.40% 76.90% 26.40% 59% 41%
Jordan 23.30% 73.90% 40.70% 55% 45%
Egypt 22.40% 75.30% 28.50% 53% 47%
Lebanon 22.30% 71.50% 52.50% 57% 43%
Saudi
Arabia 21.20% 79.80% 32.80% 57% 43%

workforce
• The Youth Bulge
• At about 25%, the youth unemployment rate
in the MENA exceeds that of any other
region in the world
• Across the Gulf, unemployment is said to be
most acute among the young national
cohort  the “youth bulge” phenomenon
Ahmed, Masood, Dominique Guillaume, &Davide Furceri (2012); Spiess, A. (2010).

Workforce’s perspectives
on work and life priorities
• To get ready for the 2020 workforce, it
becomes important to answer the
following questions:
What does the Youth expect from their
employers? What attracts and engages them?
What Do women expect from their employers?
What attracts and engages them?

Data Sources: My own research at the
• Survey conducted in 2012-2013 with 623 Arab
Professionals of various age groups (1st study)
• Interviews conducted in 2013 and 2014 with 52
successful women in Lebanon and the UAE (2nd
study)
• Interviews conducted in 2013 with 32 educated
yet unemployed Arab women (3rd study)

Employee’s perspective on work and life
priorities (1st Study)
I look for added work responsibilities
(1 is low,
5 is high) Count Percentage
1 34 5.48%
2 59 9.50%
3 113 18.20%
4 225 36.23%
5 185 29.79%
No answer 5 0.81%
I continually look for new challenges in my
work
(1 is low,
1 12 1.93%
2 53 8.53%
3 89 14.33%
4 223 35.91%
5 241 38.81%
No answer 3 0.48%
I want to have an impact and leave my
signature on what I accomplish in life
(1 is low,
1 15 2.42%
2 57 9.18%
3 76 12.24%
4 178 28.66%
5 294 47.34%
No answer 1 0.16%
Employees thrive on
challenging and
impactful
assignments

My work is meaningless if I cannot take the
time to be with my family
(1 is low,
1 65 10.47%
2 127 20.45%
3 133 21.42%
4 157 25.28%
5 133 21.42%
No answer 6 0.97%
Nothing matters more to me right now
than balancing work with my family
responsibilities
(1 is low,
1 63 10.14%
2 116 18.68%
3 136 21.90%
4 154 24.80%
5 149 23.99%
No answer 3 0.48%
Achieving balance between work and
family is sacred for me
(1 is low,
1 37 5.96%
2 92 14.81%
3 118 19.00%
4 184 29.63%
5 187 30.11%
No answer 3 0.48%
Work-life balance is
A priority.
Family seems to
weight heavier than
work

To what extent do the following statements
reflect your motivation to work?
[Because it’s important for me to have a
successful career]
(1 is low,
1 14 2.25%
2 30 4.82%
3 66 10.61%
4 204 32.80%
5 305 49.04%
No answer 3 0.48%
[Because I like the challenge it
provides]
(1 is low,
1 13 2.09%
2 48 7.72%
3 91 14.63%
4 249 40.03%
5 217 34.89%
No answer 4 0.64%
Employees are Driven by
Challenge and
Career development
opportunities
Employee’s perspective on work and
life priorities (1st Study)

[Because I want to give back to the
community]
(1 is low,
1 50 8.04%
2 93 14.95%
3 156 25.08%
4 157 25.24%
5 161 25.88%
No answer 5 0.80%
[Because I want to have an impact and
leave my signature on what I
accomplish in life]
(1 is low,
1 25 4.02%
2 68 10.93%
3 101 16.24%
4 170 27.33%
5 253 40.68%
No answer 5 0.80%
Impactful and
meaningful job.
Giving back to the
community

• Study 2: A zoom on women
• Among the 52 interviewed women in our
study, the meaning of work was mostly
related to intrinsic factors (Personal
Choice, Achievement, Use of Education, and
relational) with only 20% of the women
mentioning that they work for extrinsic
factors (money and status)

• The main challenges encountered throughout
their careers are organizational in nature:
• Working hours / Workload
• Little support from managers and colleagues
• Lack of organizational support in relation to mentoring
and career development
• Little satisfaction with salary and benefits

• The main career development enablers
are governmental and family related:
• Societal Support for Career, Government
Support, Development Plans set by
governments
• Family support for education and family
support for a career

Women’s definitions of
Success
• (1) to reach goals through hard work;
• (2) to be recognized/appreciated by
others;
• (3) to raise successful children
• (4) to balance in order to not let the
family suffer
• (5) to have a positive impact on others.

• Study 3: A zoom on unemployed Women
• The objective of this study is to
understand why young and educated
women remain unemployed in the Arab
Middle East.

• Study 3: A zoom on unemployed Women
• Most of these women were working at some
point and had to quit their job due to 2 main
reasons:
• Poor working conditions such as long working
hours, lack of flexibility, lack of career
development opportunities and poor pay
• The inability to achieve work-life balance,
namely when they were founding a family
•

• Study 3: A zoom on unemployed
Women
• Regarding their future employment plans,
one third intend to return to work when
their kids grow up, one third has been
actively looking for a job without success
and one third are still undecided.
•

Current HR practices and
policies
Data Sources: My own research at the
• Survey conducted with 250 women working in
the Lebanese banking sector (4th study)
• Survey conducted in 2011 with 85 HR managers
in the banking sector in the Levant and GCC
(5th study)

My family has played an important role in
helping me meet my work demands
(1 is low,
1 36 5.80%
2 97 15.62%
3 157 25.28%
4 215 34.62%
5 112 18.04%
No answer 4 0.64%
My company has played an
important role in helping me meet
my family demands.
(1 is low,
1 81 13.04%
2 152 24.48%
3 158 25.44%
4 164 26.41%
5 62 9.98%
No answer 4 0.64%
Current HR policies and
practices (1st Study)
Companies are not
doing a good job in
supporting
employee’s need for
balance

practices (4th Study)
% Flexible work
schedules
Part time
work
Work from
home
Compress
ed work
weeks
No 86.4 97.2 100 88.8
Yes 13.6 2.8 0 11.2

Average response
on a scale from 1
(low)to 5 (High)
To what extent do employees have to follow strict
directives, rules, policies and standard operating
procedures? 4.082353
To what extent are competent employees
empowered to make decisions on their own? 3.117647
To what extent are work-life balance issues seen
as important at your organization? 3.4286
To what extent is HR receptive to employees’
ideas? 3.6471
To what extent does HR succeed in retaining
talent? 3.6588
practices (5th Study)

How to get ready for the 2020
workforce?
• Current government initiatives
• Suggested HR initiatives to get ready for the
2020 workforce

UNITED IN KNOWLEDGE –
A COMPETITIVE ECONOMY DRIVEN BY KNOWLEDGEABLE &
INNOVATIVE EMIRATIS
HARNESS FULL POTENTIAL
OF HUMAN CAPITAL
SUSTAINABLE
AND
DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY
KNOWLEDGE-BASED
AND
HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE

Current government initiatives
• Implemented national policies—including a five-year plan,
Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) programs,
and royal decrees—aimed at introducing women into the
labor force
• Introduced aggregate nationalization quotas, and female
nationalization targets for private companies, which called
for 1.12 million additional jobs for Saudi nationals in 2014
Saudi
Arabia
• The initiative by Dubai Women’s Establishment
(DWE) focuses on activities such as conducting
training programs to help equip the UAE women
meet the requirements of the business world
UAE

Current government initiatives
• Qatar National Vision 2030 stresses on
the importance of increased
opportunities and vocational support
for women.
• Qatar and Kuwait have launched
business forums (Qatar Business
Women Forum and Business
Professional Women) for women with
the aim of helping business women
contribute to the economic
development of their respective
countries.
Qatar

Despite all these efforts,
Women’s capabilities are
underutilized in the GCC

How to get ready for the
2020 workforce?
1. Family-centrality is a common feature
across all Arab countries (Afiouni, 2014,
Afiouni and Karam, 2014; Karam and
Afiouni, 2014) that cannot be ignored
a) The 2020 workplace needs to be a flexible
workplace that allows for work-life balance
b) Work Life Balance affects employee
satisfaction, stress, turnover rates, absenteeism
and work-family conflicts. Implementing Work-
Life balance policies would increase
productivity.

2020 workforce?
2. The workforce is going to be
increasingly diverse with a mix of
locals/expatriates, men/women,
young/mature workers
a) Progressive diversity policies are going to
place you as an employer of choice
b) This requires you to walk the talk and
ensure that there are no barriers to entry
and career progression for locals, the youth
and women.

2020 workforce?
3. The 2020 workforce thrives on
meaningful and impactful jobs
a. Engage your workforce in your CSR
initiatives
b. Turn your CSR initiatives internally

References
• Afiouni, F. (2014). Women’s careers in the Arab Middle East: understanding institutional
constraints to the boundaryless career view. Career Development International, 19(3), 4-
4.
• Afiouni, F., & Karam, C. M. (2014). Structure, Agency, and Notions of Career Success: A
process-oriented, subjectively malleable and localized approach. Career Development
International, 19(5).
• Afiouni, F., Karam, C. M., & El-Hajj, H. (2013). The HR value proposition model in the Arab
Middle East: identifying the contours of an Arab Middle Eastern HR model. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(10), 1895-1932.
• Afiouni, F. and Karam C.M. (2014). Identifying Career Patterns Of Arab Professionals Using
the Kaleidoscope Career Model. Presented at the 13th International Human Resource
Management Conference 2014, Cracow, Poland.
• AlMunajjed, M., Sabbagh, K., & Insight, I. C. (2011). Youth in GCC Countries: Meeting the
Challenge. Booz & Company Inc.
• Amin, M., Assaad, R., al-Baharna, N., Dervis, K., Desai, R. M., Dhillon, N. S., & Galal, A.
(2012). After the spring: Economic transitions in the Arab world. Oxford University Press.
• Forstenlechner, I., & Rutledge, E. J. (2011). The GCC's “Demographic Imbalance”:
Perceptions, Realities and Policy Options. Middle East Policy,18(4), 25-43.
• the GCC: security risks, constraints and policy challenges. In Conference policy paper
presented at the.

References
• Gulftalent. (2014). Employment and salary trends in the Gulf
2014. http://www.gulftalent.com/home/Employment-and-Salary-Trends-in-
the-Gulf-2014-Report-37.html.
• Kapiszewski, A. (2006, May). Arab versus Asian migrant workers in the GCC
countries. In United Nations Expert Group Meeting on International Migration
and Development in the Arab Region, Beirut, May (pp. 15-17).
• Mashood, N., Verhoeven, H., & Chansarkar, B. (2009, April). Emiratisation,
Omanisation and Saudisation–common causes: common solutions?.
InProceedings of the Tenth International Business Research Conference,
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dubai, 16-17 April. Butterworth Heinemann.
• Masood, A., Guillaume, d. and Furceri. D. "Youth Unemployment in the MENA
Region: Determinants and Challenges."Addressing the 100 (2012).
• Matherly, L. L., & Hodgson, S. 2014. Implementing Employment Quotas to
Develop Human Resource Capital: A Comparison of Oman and the UAE.
• Shehadi, R., Hoteit, L., Tarazi, K., & Lamaa, A. (2011). Educated, ambitious,
essential: Women will drive the GCC’s future. Booz & Company. Retrieved
on,11(19), 12.
• Spiess, A. (2010). Demographic transitions and imbalances in the GCC:
security risks, constraints and policy challenges.

Is Your Company Ready For The 2020 Workforce?

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