The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the world leader in public services performance based on The KPI Institute’s Government Services Index 2022. The index is built on six dimensions that were chosen considering key value drivers for high-performing public services and includes 32 indicators. UAE has recorded an overall index score of 0.92 and above 0.80 for all indicators within the index, ranking first in two dimensions: Adaptability and Talent.

The report also shows that UAE ranks first in the Adaptability dimension, which is characteristic of future-oriented nations capable of reacting to unforeseen developments by equipping themselves with innovative technology and benefiting from international and domestic societal support. 

Embedded in the country’s history, with a background of welcoming trade and business that goes back to early Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) moments, the UAE has one of the most open economies in the world. UAE scored above 0.90 in all indicators of the Adaptability dimensions, from Value System (1.0000) to Legal framework’s adaptability and Digital business models (0.9132).  

With a top score as far as the value system indicator, correlated with a high score of national culture, the UAE demonstrates how the value system of their society, together with a strong sense of national identity, supports long-term welfare and competitiveness.

The UAE has understood the importance of adaptability as a factor of development, and it has taken great measures to enhance it over the years. The country’s initiatives ensure that government entities and the business environment cooperate and align their efforts to boost competitiveness while stimulating innovation and digitization as well as achieving social cohesion through prosperity and well-being for the members of the society. Based on that, the country has efficiently managed to weather the pandemic. The government’s responsiveness to the changes imposed by the COVID-19 crisis has been immediate and promoted further actions to mitigate its effects on the economy. 

Foreign direct investments were already encouraged, but the government’s efforts focused on increasing the liberalization of business activity in the middle of a pandemic. The Federal Law on commercial businesses was amended to remove the constraints that required all businesses to be chaired by UAE citizens and have 51% of shares held by an Emirati national. Now, more than 40 free zones allow 100% foreign business ownership. To stimulate the diversification of the economy, 122 economic activities across 13 sectors are qualified for the new law. 

A Virtual License system was launched in alignment with UAE’s positive attitude towards globalization and the local governmet’s achievements in the field of digital transformation. This system aims to allow foreign investors to virtually obtain permission to do business in the emirate of Abu Dhabi from anywhere in the world and thus enable cross-border digital trade. This openness to international business is not recent. The United Arab Emirates has a long history of encouraging private-sector growth through international trade sustained by numerous Free Trade Agreements with trade-related infrastructure and services.

Furthermore, the flexibility shown by the country’s authorities in addressing the current market challenges is a result of the frameworks that facilitate the adoption of new technology starting from 2001, with the launch of the UAE e-government portal. Since then, the government has implemented important advances in the digital transformation field. Federal Network (FedNet) is an initiative that connects government entities through a safe, ongoing, and private infrastructure. The UAE Pass provides citizens a digital identity that helps them access government services. The UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence focuses on transforming the country into an early adopter of emerging artificial intelligenece (AI) technologies in education, economy, government development, and community happiness. Emirates Blockchain Strategy aims to capitalize on blockchain technology to transform 50% of government transactions into the blockchain platform.

The latest initiative is the Digital Economy Strategy. It aims to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE’s non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) from 11.7% to over 20% within the next 10 years.

The UAE maintains its performance in the Talent dimension of the GSI, ranking first in the global hierarchy. Traits such as flexibility in policymaking, successful use of international assistance, a knowledge-based economy, and attractiveness for the skilled workforce, define a country excelling in this dimension based on the Index.

Seen as a pillar of stability in the region with high credibility in the international community, the UAE has an outstanding performance, registering scores above 0.90 for all indicators of the dimension, including Effective use of support (1.000), Policy learning (0.9932) and Brain retention (0.9108). The Effective use of international support indicator top score outlines the country’s affinities towards bilateral relations, while the Skilled labor pool and Competent senior managers indicators’ high scores are evidence of a competitive knowledge economy that prioritizes labor market productivity and economic growth.

The UAE has diplomatic relations with most countries of the world. It is a member of international organizations like the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Over the years, the government has capitalized on international Talent while working to refine and enhance its laws and institutions. As a result, it has become a role model of leadership and cohesion nowadays. Furthermore, the country’s response to the pandemic has demonstrated the sustainability of its development model. 

The stability and adaptability in face of crises have made the UAE a pole of attraction for migrant workers, who account for over 90% of the country’s workforce. Thus, several policies and initiatives aiming to support the labor market amid the ongoing pandemic have been launched.

One of them is the amendment of the Executive Regulation of the Federal Law “concerning Nationality and Passports.” The changes will allow investors, specialized talents, professionals, and their families to acquire Emirati nationality under certain conditions that will facilitate labor market efficiency and flexibility by enlarging the pool of talent.

The National Employment Strategy 2031 also supports the government’s efforts to build a “knowledge-based economy.” It promotes entrepreneurship and lifelong learning, cultivating the skills of the future, and enhancing knowledge and cultural diversity as means to attract skilled labor, especially women, in sectors such as technology, energy, transportation, and advanced science.

By being future-oriented and taking proactive actions, the UAE has successfully developed a governance model that can adapt and innovate in unforeseen conditions. Open to international relations, the UAE has become a thriving hub for global trade and a focal point for foreign investments. In turn, it has created job opportunities that attract within the local labor market’s various cultures and worldwide expertise. These considerations, correlated with the accomplishments in the indicators of the GSI 2022, make the UAE a leader in government services with best practices to learn from.

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This article was first published in the 24th printed edition of PERFORMANCE Magazine. You can get a free digital copy from the TKI Marketplace here or purchase a print copy from Amazon for a nominal fee here.

Explore how governments tackle new trends, models, actions, initiatives, and strategies.

New Zealand’s latest workforce data underscores diversity, fair pay

New Zealand’s “Public Service Workforce Data” for 2022, released by Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes, gives an overview of employment trends in the public sector. The report covers workforce numbers, ages, genders, ethnicities, occupations, incomes, and gender pay gaps. The data is collected from staff payroll records of all 37 Public Service departments. 

One of the report’s highlights is the increasing diversity in public service. There are now 13.4% of public servants who identify as Asian, up from 9.4% in 2017 and 3.3% in 2000. Another area examined by the report is generational shift. It is estimated that the average age of employees in the public sector is declining. After peaking at 44.8 years in 2015/16, it has dropped to 44.0 years.

Data shows there are now 55.8% of women in senior management roles, up from 53.5% last year and 39.8% in 2010. Meanwhile, the public service gender pay gap decreased to 7.7% from 8.6% in 2021. | Source: https://www.scoop.co.nz

UAE to enhance AI utilization in government services

The UAE government launched the UAE Digital Economy Strategy, with a goal to increase the digital economy’s contribution to the GDP from 9.7% to 19.4%. Over 30 initiatives and programs are included in the strategy, which targets six sectors as well as five new growth areas.

During a meeting in Dubai, Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said that the UAE Council for AI and Blockchain aims to create opportunities and foster collaboration between different departments. He also said that by adopting new technology and digitization solutions, the country would enhance its competitiveness and global leadership.

The AI Council discussed the implementation of artificial intelligence in critical sectors and ignited competitiveness among government entities. They also support the use of artificial intelligence as a working model and crucial tool in digital transactions in the fields of healthcare, energy, natural resources, blockchain, industry, transportation and logistics, and tourism. | Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com

Survey reveals what citizens look for in digital public services

In a 2022 survey conducted by Accenture, citizens from North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific cited “ease of use” and “confidence in data security and privacy” as the top factors when asked what would make them more likely to utilize digital services. The survey also found that those who depended more on public services were the largest segment supporting accelerated digital interactions.

“The best step forward to improve customer experiences is to establish simple and secure processes so people can get what they need on the first try,” said Eyal Darmon, Accenture’s global public sector customer engagement lead. 

In the same context, public servants surveyed said that their cyber-security training was insufficient. Only one-third of them claimed to be receiving regular training on cyber and data security. | Source: https://newsroom.accenture.com

Australia plans to reduce emissions by 81%

According to a report issued by Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) in 2022, clean technologies that are already in use in Australia, such as wind turbines and solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, electrolyzers, and electric cars with chargers, were determined to have the potential to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2030. The plan relies on increasing rollout rates of these six key technologies over the coming years.

“Our research shows Australians that emissions-cutting technologies are here, we’re using them and there’s no reason why they can’t be scaled up to help us cut emissions, create jobs, and lay the economic foundations for modern and competitive export industries,” said BZE chief executive, Heidi Lee. | Source: https://www.energymagazine.com.au

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To learn more about government performance, download The KPI Institute’s The Government Services Index 2022 for free here. For inquiries regarding the Index, contact Marcela Presecan, Head of Research:  [email protected], or +61 (390) 282 223.

Government performance looks different today due to the changes that took place in the world in the past two years. The 24th edition of Performance Magazine offers deep dives and practical insights into new developments, strategies, trends, and transformations in the public sector.

The issue highlights findings from The KPI Institute’s Government Service Index Report 2022, a pragmatic review of public service performance in the post-pandemic era that covers seven world regions, 66 countries, five dimensions, and 32 indicators.  The data were analyzed according to five dimensions: adaptability, talent, digitalization, governance, and impact.

In the cover story, “The future of public service: key trends in strategy and performance management,” Dr. Hisham Ahmad Kayali, a strategic and performance management specialist in the UAE, wrote about what the future of public services should look like. The other articles readers can find are:

• “How the COVID-19 pandemic shaped political governance”
• “Strategic approaches on the use of digital tools and data to improve the delivery of public value”
• “Web 3.0: the next frontier for e-government services”
• “The United Arab Emirates: the world’s leader in government services”
• “Making an impact: how the Netherlands promotes the general welfare”

The latest Performance Magazine also addresses today’s most pressing questions related to government performance: How can a motivational culture impact the performance of public servants? What is important in measuring the performance of public services? How can public entities better communicate strategies to citizens?

By drawing on The KPI Institute’s 19 years of experience in performance management, Performance Magazine provides its readers with prime resources, industry updates, interviews, case studies, expert recommendations, and global perspectives on strategy and performance management. The magazine covers strategy planning, strategy execution, employee performance, benchmarking, data analysis, and data visualization.

Readers can access industry updates and exclusive insights into becoming state-of-the-art professionals and high-performance organizations from subject matter experts, seasoned consultants, practitioners, business leaders, academicians, and research analysts.

To learn more about government performance, download the latest Performance Magazine for free via TKI Marketplace or order the print version from Amazon.