Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will play a deciding role in tackling the UAE's burgeoning employment crisis, according to a new report from Standard Chartered.

The group noted that there is a rapid growth in the number of young workers in the UAE and across the wider Middle East and in the coming years ensuring that employment is available for this demographic will be crucial for the economic and social wellbeing of the emirates.

And while the oil and gas industry will provide support for some of these workers, SMEs and the private sector will come to play an increasingly important role.

The report concludes that securing finance will be vital here, as the UAE and other oil-rich Middle Eastern countries will need to ensure that the young workforce is supplied with robust training to ensure that potential skills shortfalls are avoided.

Among the international oil training firms working in the UAE is Petrofac, which has teamed up with the Dubai Petroleum Establishment to create the Dubai Petroleum Training Centre, providing key skills support for the emirate's young workforce.

Oil and Gas Directory: Training and Development