Career Advice

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) consist of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain.
The country is home to some of the newest and most innovative cities in the world. The United Arab Emirates is classified as a high income developing economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The job market
Over three-quarters of the United Arab Emirates workforce is expatriate, making it a significant employment destination for people with the right skills. However, employers are currently cautious about hiring due to the economic climate, and there is a move to create more opportunities for UAE nationals.

The crash in oil prices last year and general concerns about dependence on oil and growing inflation mean that diversification is top of the UAE’s agenda for its long-term strategy for success and stability. You may therefore find increasing opportunities in sectors such as Tourism and Hospitality and less in Oil and Engineering. Recently with the increasing oil prices this pressure has been released a bit, so jobs in the Oil Industry started picking up again as well

English is the business language but being able to understand Arabic will give you a significant advantage.

Sectors
Major industries:
Petroleum and petrochemicals, fishing, aluminium, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, boat building, handicrafts, textiles.

Recent growth areas:
Education, health care, tourism, hospitality, logistics, export, oil and gas.

Industries in decline:
Production/manufacturing, automotive.

Shortage occupations:
Health care workers

Major companies:
Microsoft Gulf, Marriott, FedEx Express, The One, DHL, Ericsson, Omnicom Media Group MENA, Securities and Commodities Authority, Bayt.com, EMC.

Details about the working environment
Average working hours: 8 hours per day from Sunday to Thursday. Weekends start on Thursday evenings. Many companies operate a two-shift system.
Holidays: Holiday dates shift each year according to the sighting of the moon. Most employees are entitled to two days’ annual leave per month of service and there are 10 national holidays in UAE, although the exact amount of holiday given depends on whether public holidays fall during the working week or on the weekend. But varies between 30 and 40 days.
Tax rates: individuals pay no income tax in UAE and the only corporate tax paid is by foreign banks and oil companies. Don't forget to check your tax and national insurance in your home country, to avoid tax surprises afterwards and to ensure you keep your pension rights.



More information added soon