Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that the company hired 113 UAE National women in 2024, more than half the 220 Emiratis recruited by EGA during the year.
EGA aims that women hold 25 per cent of supervisory roles by the end of this year, and 15 per cent of all roles by the end of 2026. Currently, women hold 23.3 per cent of supervisory roles and 9.6 per cent of all roles at the company.
At the end of 2024, EGA's in-focus Emiratisation rate was 44.3 per cent. On a like-for-like basis, EGA has one of the highest Emiratisation rates of any major company considering the high number of industrial positions.
EGA now aims to accelerate in-focus Emiratisation to reach 50 per cent by the end of 2027. This means EGA expects to hire up to 600 UAE Nationals over the period.
Some 144 of the 2024 recruits, including 65 of the women, joined EGA's National Training programmes which prepare high school leavers for technical and administrative positions in the company's industrial facilities and administration.
The majority of university graduates who joined EGA's longstanding Graduate Training programme in 2024 were women. Graduate trainees complete 18 or 24 months of training for supervisory positions in corporate functions or in industrial operations. For graduate trainees in operations, this includes periods of working shifts in front-line operational roles they will supervise, such as tending reduction cells.
Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: 'More than 71 per cent of our 2024 UAE National recruits joined roles in EGA's operations, driving forward our vision for excellence and our contribution to achieve the goals of UAE's industrial strategy Operation 300bn. Our unwavering commitment to Emiratisation enables us to capitalise on exceptional UAE National talent to maximise our growth and the economic development of our nation. Our ambitious Emiratisation goals reflect our role as a leader in national talent development and innovation. We have exceeded our in-focus Emiratisation goals for 2024 and are now aiming to reach 50 per cent in-focus Emiratisation rate by 2027.'
In 2024, EGA participated in 14 national career events. This includes major fairs and EGA's own recruitment drives, such as those conducted with the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, Department of Government Enablement, HR Departments of RAK Government and Fujairah Government.
More than 1,300 UAE Nationals work at EGA, with over half under the age of 35.