Dubai is fast becoming one of the largest employment hubs in the world. Propelled by a buoyant economy and booming sectors of tourism, real estate, retail and of course the oil industry the UAE and more specifically Dubai has attained a growth rate that has been phenomenal in the last decade. Dubai is easily among the fastest growing cities in the world and has become the epicentre for job opportunities and employment. The government is doing all it takes to make Dubai an attractive investment zone along with the other emirates which are fast catching up. Infrastructure, legal reforms, tax rebates and better laws are attracting hundreds of companies to the city who are setting up base here. Many companies in fact have their permanent headquarters in the desert city.
It is incredible that since 2002 the city has seen the establishment of about 30 companies every week. One of the primary reasons for this amazing growth of companies and employment generation in the Emirates as a whole is that the city is ‘Tax Free’. If an employee is living and working in an area he or she gets paid the entire wages and there is no tax deducted from the amount. In Dubai direct personal taxation is a crime and hence whatever you earn is completely yours.
The job opportunities in Dubai are range from media, IT, hospitality, tourism, construction, Dubai real estate, retail and many more. The hospitality sector in Dubai is particularly seeing a massive rise in employment opportunities as more and more hotels are coming up. The jobs in Dubai demand extreme competitiveness and creativity. If one needs to stick around at a relatively senior post one has to constantly come up with ideas to keep the ball rolling. With the rapid growth in the number of high rises the city is starting to look more like Tokyo and the industries like media, marketing and IT are trying best to keep pace with the infrastructural growth.
The phenomenon that is happening in the desert city owes a lot to its cultural flexibility. Dubai is where the rich and famous from around the world are thronging to. The big names in Hollywood, the industrial and business tycoons are all buying property here and it is no wonder that more and more business is flowing into the country. The cosmopolitan nature of the city makes it quite accommodating and as such more and more non residents are making it their second home. The pay in most of the sectors is quite handsome and one can easily earn some good money and then head back home. This is exactly what many of the construction workers and real estate and property consultants are doing. Pay and working conditions here are quite better and irrespective of the country of origin, colour, nationality or economic status, everyone gets a job here.
Another reason for the tremendous increase in employment opportunities is the strategic location of the Emirates. Being located in the gulf at a strategic location the port of Dubai serves as a resting point between the ships and carriers from the West to the East and vice versa. In such a scenario immense business opportunities arise and many companies find it easier if they have a base in the city for logistical and other support. Hence more and more companies are establishing here.
For a non resident a work permit is a must to be able to work in the city. Residency visa is also necessary. Most of the time employers take care of these hassles so that the employees don’t have to face the bureaucratic processes. But for visitors a temporary visa is issued with which one scout and look for a suitable job. Once you get the job the work permit can be easily acquired and does not take much time. One has to adjust to the cultural peculiarities of the place and of course the underlying Islamic sentiments. Working hours here are quite different but it is something that one gets used to. Almost all businesses shut down for a few hours in the evenings and Friday is the day when no meetings are held.
If you are planning to start your very own business in Dubai then you might have to go through a bit of hassles but overall the process is quite easy. The government provides several incentives to overseas businesses in the free trade zones. Currently the city has 15 free trade zones and 7 more are going to get started in some time now. Foreign businesses get preference here and they don’t have to pay corporate taxes and also do not require a shareholding structure. This is one of the major reasons as to why so many new and innovative businesses are coming up in the city and plentiful employment is being created.
Dubai real estate sector employs a huge number of people. It is an amazing fact that Dubai employs about 15% of the total construction cranes in the world this clearly gives a picture of the sheer size of the development that is going on there. Each mega project employs thousands of skilled workers and since a lot many projects go on simultaneously many workers tend to get work at two to three places at a time. However human rights activists have argued that the workers are not being provided safe working conditions. It is said that they have to work for hours on end for meagre amounts. Though no one has challenged this in court till now it is a fact that workers continue to flow into the city and they are doing so only because they are finding better opportunities here.
As a city Dubai is incredible. The living standards are quite high even for people from the bottom of the pyramid. There exists a fast paced social life that many of the expatriates enjoy. A majority of the population comprises of non residents who come here to work hard and send back money to their homes. Many of them are from the subcontinent and are doing a great job here.
