UK & UAE Labor Market Comparison & Job Role in Customer Service Sector

This report provides a comparative analysis of the labor market conditions in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), examining aspects such as employment rates, unemployment, economic inactivity, and public vs. private sector differences. It highlights inequalities in wage levels and employment rates between genders in both countries. The report further discusses the significance of tight and loose labor market conditions and their impact on employment, unemployment, and the overall economy. Additionally, it delves into recruitment and selection processes, focusing on the development of job descriptions, person specifications, and competency frameworks, particularly in the context of customer service roles. This comprehensive analysis offers insights into the dynamics of the labor markets in these two distinct regions.

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HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
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Human Resource Management
Labor Market
A labor market is a place that supports the interaction between employers and employees
(Bratton and Gold, 2017, n.p). It gives employers an opportunity to hire qualified employees and
employees are required to perform their duties effectively and efficiently to achieve the goals of
an organization. This paper analyses the conditions of the labor market by comparing those in the
United Kingdom (UK) and the United Arab Emirates (UAEs).
Labor Market Conditions in the UK
In the UK, a person over the age of sixteen may be classified as employed, unemployed or
economically inactive (Gomes, 2012, p.170). The statistics on employment show all the people
being paid for work. It may be part-time or full-time. Unemployed people are those that have
been looking for a job within the last one month and there is a possibility of starting in the next
two weeks. Similarly, people who are unemployed do not have claim over any benefits. The
economically inactive are those that have not been looking for any form of employment for the
past one month, therefore, cannot start working in the next two weeks. A person may choose not
to look for employment due to taking care of the home and family, education, disability or
illnesses.
Inequality in the rate Employment
When it comes to employment, statistics agree with the number of people being paid and
not the jobs because some people hold more than one job. The rate of employment is measured
between the ages of sixteen and sixty-four. The comparison in the rate of employment between
men and women began in 1971. From that time, the rate of employment was at its lowest in
1983. An increase in the rate of employment between both genders was witnessed in 2012.

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Between the months of June and August this year, the rate of employment rose from 75.1% to
75.5% (Checchi and García‐Peñalosa, 2010, p.433).
1978 1988 1998 2008 2018
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
UK emplyment rates (aged 16 to 64 years)
women people men
Rate of Employment (Forth et al, 2013, n.p).
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
71.5
72
72.5
73
73.5
74
74.5
75
75.5
76
76.5
Rate of employment (aged 16 to 64)
Rate of employment Series 2 Column1

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Rate of Employment (Forth et al, 2013, n.p).
The rate of employment rose from 75.1% to 75.5% between the months of June and
August this year but this was lower than that of March which was 75.7%. The rate of
employment in men aged between the age of sixteen and sixty-four 80.1%. The rate of employed
men has reduced since 1991. The rate of employment in women aged between the ages of
sixteen to sixty-four continues to rise. Research shows that 71% of women are employed. This
number has increased within the past one year from 70.7% to 71.3% (Forth et al, 2013, n.p). The
increase in the rate of employed women is due to the changes in the terms of their pension
making few women retire between the age of sixty and sixty-five.
Public and Private Sector
The public sector employment is the number of employees under the local and central
government and public organizations. Private sector employment is determined by finding the
difference between the total employment and public sector employment. The reclassification
effects are the changes caused by the comparison of the public and private sectors of
employment (Clauwaert and Schömann, 2012, p.61). The graph below shows the estimation of
employment in both sectors without the effects. Between the months of March and June this
year, the rate of employment in the public sector dropped by four thousand because Welsh
housing association was transferred into the private sector. Without the transfer, the number of
public sector employment increased by sixteen thousand. Between June 2017 and 2018 the rate
of employment in the public sector reduced by one hundred and twenty-two thousand due to the
transfer. Without the effect, the number of employees in the public sector rose by thirty-four
thousand. Currently, the rate of employment in the public sector National Health Service is
30.9% and those in education are 28.3% (Forth et al, 2013, n.p).

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2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
1400
1450
1500
1550
1600
1650
1700
Public sector employment in National Health Service and education
National Health Service Education Column1
Public Sector Employment in National Health Service and Education (Forth et al,
2013, n.p).
Unemployment
Unemployed people are those that have been looking for a job within the last one month
and there is a possibility of starting in the next two weeks. The rate of unemployment by
determining the economically active people that do not have jobs (Gautié and Schmitt, 2010,
n.p). The lowest rate of unemployment was 3.4% in 1971 and the highest was 11.3% in 1984.

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Currently, the rate of unemployment is 4%.
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The rate of unemployment
women people men
The Rate of Unemployment (Forth et al, 2013, n.p).
1.36million people are unemployed, 733,000 of them are men while 630,000 are women.
Economically Inactive
The economically inactive are those that have not been looking for any form of
employment for the past one month, therefore, cannot start working in the next two weeks. In
1971, the rate of economic inactivity fell due to the reduction in the rate of economic inactive
women. In men, the economic inactivity rose. A person may choose not to look for employment
due to taking care of the home and family, education, disability or illness (Adsera, 2011, p.5).

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2 2 2 2 2
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Economic activity
retired sick taking care of home students
Economic Inactivity (Forth et al, 2013, n.p).
Labor Market Conditions in UAEs
In the United Arab Emirates, the labor conditions are classified as employed, unemployed
or economically inactivity. A person is allowed to work from the age of 15. The statistics on
employment show all the people being paid for work. It may be part-time or full-time. The
economy of UAEs grew in 1971 due to capital productivity (Campante and Chor, 2012, p.170).
UAEs has a total of nine million people. As of 2013 4.4 million of the total population were
employed.
Public and Private Sector
When it comes to the comparison between the public and private sector employment in
UAEs, the private sector has higher opportunities than the public. The public sector only holds
20% of the jobs. In the public sector, the amount of salary depends on the level of education and
experience (Burden‐Leahy, 2009, p.550). The profits in the private sector may be reduced
because they apply nepotistic hiring. This may cause a problem when it comes to the

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performance. The private sector pays based on performance. The difference between the two
sectors is the lack of competition. Lack of competition makes companies deliver services of poor
quality due to unavailability of improved technology.
Inequality in Rate of Employment
When it comes to the rate of employment in men and women. Men have the highest
percentage compared to women. In UAEs, it was believed that the women belonged at home.
Their duty was to take care of homes and family and had no time to acquire employment. Over
the years, the number of female employees is increasing due to the global fight on gender
equality (Itani et al, 2011, p.417). Even though it is increasing slowly and women do not hold the
same positions as men in the organizations, but they have an opportunity to go to work. UAEs is
far from embracing gender equality in organizations. In UAEs, women hold 19% of the jobs.
Unemployment
Unemployed people are those that have been looking for a job within the last one month
and there is a possibility of starting in the next two weeks. The rate of Unemployment in the
UAEs increased from 1.64% to 1.7% between 2016 and 2017. Between 2017 and 1985 the rate
of unemployment was 2.85% on average with the highest being 4.20% in 2009 and the lowest at
1.15% (Kapiszewski, 2017, p. 70).

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2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
Rate of Unemployment
Unemployment rate Column2 Column1
Rate of Unemployment (Kapiszewski, 2017, p.70)
Economically Inactive
The economically inactive are those that have not been looking for any form of
employment for the past one month, therefore, cannot start working in the next two weeks. A
person may choose not to look for employment due to taking care of the home and family,
education, disability or illnesses. In UAEs, the total population of those who are inactive
economically is 51.6%. 35.7% of the population are students, 50.7% are men, and 30.5% are
women. 51.4% are housewives, and 9.2% are over the age of sixty-five (Kapiszewski, 2017,
p.75). When it comes to men, 7.6 are retired and 13.6% are over the age of sixty-five.
The Significance of Tight and Loose Labor Market Conditions
Additionally, the importance of tight and loose labor market conditions should be
discussed regarding employment, unemployment and their impact on the economy. The tight
labor market is when the economy is experiencing an almost full employment which makes the
recruitment process difficult and effects on wages. An economy that experiences almost full

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employment rises the demand for the product leading to an increase in output (Lengnick-Hall et
al, 2013, p.371). This means that employees cannot be hired because they are few hence shifting
the demand labor curve to the right. This causes the wages of employees to rise because they
have a higher bargaining power. The importance of the tight labor market is that it increases the
rate of employment. An increase in the rate of employment improves the living standards of
people by reducing the rate of poverty thus leading to the growth of the economy.
Recruitment and Selection
Recruitment is the process of identifying a vacancy and formulating job descriptions,
personal attributes, and competencies in an organization. Selection, on the other hand, involves
choosing a qualified candidate to fill the vacancy (Swart and Kinnie, 2010, p.65).
Development of Job Descriptions, Person Specifications and Competency
Frameworks
A job description describes the qualification of a certain job in terms of duties and
responsibilities, purpose and scope. As time goes by, companies are considering job description
to be a form of the past and the present but a job description based on competence is of the
present and future. When it comes to the formulation of a job description, factors such as the
structure of the organization, analysis of the job, a description of the job and its forms have to be
considered. The structure of the organization arranges jobs into positions. Additionally, it shows
the relationship of people in an organization which may be formal or informal. Large
corporations embrace organizational structures that are bureaucratic and a top to down
management approach (Klett, 2010, p.278). Organizational structures also encourage teamwork.
Through teamwork, the employee gets to acquire knowledge and experience from others.
Workflow analysis is the process by which the organization applies feedback acquired
from the customers to improve the productivity of the products. In this case, the employees need

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to be aware of the goals of the organization. Companies embrace advanced technology to
produce products of high quality. Qualified employees would get to perform their duties
effectively and efficiently to produce quality products at a lower cost. Job design involves an
analysis of job description, workflow, and organizational structure. When it comes to job
specifications, the description of a person needed for the job is given regarding the qualifications,
experiences, skills, and motivation (Eric Soderquist et al, 2010, p.331). Skills are shown when a
person performs his duties with confidence. A candidate needs to possess competencies that will
help achieve the plans of the company. An employee should be able to work under minimal
supervision, perform his duties as an individual or in a team, time conscious and flexible.
Legal Requirements in Relation to Recruitment and Selection
When it comes to the process of recruitment and selection the law has to be adhered to.
The organization should promote equality and protection of its employees. Candidates have a
right to be appointed to various positions regardless of their background and personality traits.
The process of recruitment and selection should be open and accessible to any qualified
candidates. The law exists to protect potential employees from discrimination (Stoilkovska et al,
2015, p286). In the process, the organizations are required to make adjustments that can
accommodate people with disabilities. The language used in the advertisements should not
discourage some people from applying for the job. During the interviews, the organization
should focus on the job description and not the candidate’s personal traits and background. Some
jobs may assess a person through tests. The tests should focus on the requirements of the job and
not personal information. The personal information should be confidential. The process of
recruitment and selection should observe equality (Stoilkovska et al, 2015, p286).
Strengths and Weaknesses of Using Social Media

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Various methods such as social media and agencies can be used in the recruitment and
selection process. Using social media in the recruitment and selection exercises has its strengths
and weaknesses. The application of social media is cost-effective. All an organization needs is a
computer and the internet connection. It is quick thus saves time and cost. The organization
would not need to print out forms or pay interviewers. Social media embraces advanced
technology. With improved technology, the process is carried out efficiently. Through social
media, the organization gets to meet many people (Parry and Wilson, 2009, p.664). This will
help the company acquire highly qualified employees. The company also gets to provide
information on its culture. This enables the employees to easily adapt to the organization. The
huge applications are handled in a consistent way. Consistency enables businesses to acquire
feedback and top talent in the market. The weaknesses of social media are that the company may
get inappropriate applications. This happens when an applicant has not gone through the job
specification. The technical difficulty may destroy the brand of the organization by scare
potential applicants. Social media is discriminatory especially to those who are not computer
literate.
Strengths of using social media Weakness of social media
Cost efficient
Quick
Improved technology
Global reach
Vacancy wide known
Supports the brand
Consistency
Inappropriate applications
Technical difficulty
Promotes discrimination