Did BB2 leave? She used to post all the time, helping many people out. I just found a post she made (on the Dubai forum) and I'd really like to reach out to her for a follow up question. But it's a sensitive issue so I'd rather not throw it out unless I know she's there to catch :-)
Busybee2 are you still around?
I think the issue of being Emiritized depends on the Gov. industry you're in - and frankly, how strategic leaders in that industry are in making decisions for the long-term good. I've seen places where the main goal was to meet quotas/percentages of Emiratis, regardless of whether they are ready for the role. In those cases, lots of people were Emiritized (at all levels, from super senior to entry level) but the people replacing them are simply not prepared. Whether they can rally and make a success of things remains to be seen.
Whether the tide will start to turn back and expats brought back in remains to be seen. If it does, for a transition to succeed there needs to be a formal "training/mentoring" program at all levels and acknowledgement that an expat is there for only a certain period of time and his/her main job is to mentor a talented experienced person(s) taking over in a few years. In my experience, though, neither does the training/mentoring happen, nor does the talented National who still needs experience want to wait that long.
Arabic is definitely becoming more important in gov sector jobs - as it should be.
Also, from what I've seen/heard, salaries used to be much higher in the past than now -- which will not help to find people willing to mentor and leave after a few years. That should command a premium.
