UAE National Day: the role played by expats

Thursday, 1 December 2011 12:15 PM

The old souq in Sharjah, photographed in 1969 (Image: NCDR)

When Colm McLoughlin came to the UAE some 28 years ago, the country was a very different place. The dusty roads were not lined with rows of lavish buildings that soared up into the sky.

The beachfront was not crowded with sunbathing tourists, and the airport was little more than one, small antiquated terminal. Brought over to set up Dubai Duty Free at the request of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 40-year-old Irishman McLoughlin was one of just a handful of expats brave enough to make the move to the Gulf state at that time.

“Dubai has changed tremendously,” he says. “[When we started] the population was about 200,000 people, it’s now close to 2m. There was no stock exchange, there was no financial centre, there were about four or five hotels, and there was no Burj Al Arab, Royal Mirage, or Jumeirah Beach Hotel. The airport was one building and the Abu Dhabi road was a two lane highway. In Europe, people didn’t really know where Dubai was.”

Other expats new to the region that decade were Maurice Flanagan, Riad Kamal and Sunny Varkey. Flanagan, who came to Dubai in 1985 as the CEO of Emirates Airline, was later awarded a CBE for his services to communities in the UAE and to aviation. Palestinian Kamal moved to the region in 1974, before launching the UAE’ biggest construction firm, Arabtec. Varkey, who came to the UAE from India in 1985, created an education empire, GEMs, which very quickly made him into a millionaire.

But this was just the beginning for the UAE. Some 30 years later, these expats are among hundreds of foreign names known for their outstanding contributions to what is now the most prosperous economy in the Middle East, and one of the key emerging markets globally. Rick Pudner, CEO of Emirates NBD, Gerard Lawless, top man at the Jumeirah Group, and Deepak Khetrapal, leader of the age-old retailer Jumbo Electronics, are but a few more.

“Expats have played an essential role in the success of this country – there is no denying it,” says Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, professor of political science at the UAE University. “Without the expats and locals together, I don’t think we would ever have got to this point. Everybody appreciates it, and everybody recognises it.”

As it stands, some 80 percent of the UAE population is expatriate, with Emiratis making up just 20 percent. During the boom years, expats accounted for 90-95 percent of job-seekers, with only 5-10 percent of applications coming from UAE locals, according to property recruitment firm Macdonald and Company. Economists say the influx of foreigners was essential in light of the UAE’s ambitious growth plans but small Emirati population.

“The UAE has got a tiny population but a massive economy,” says Jim Krane, expert on Dubai, and author of City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism. “The employment of expats goes back more than 100 years, and is a key [reason] for the success that the country has had.”

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UAE 40th National Day

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Posted by: irfan Monday, 20 February 2012 1:19 PM[UAE] - abu dhabi

sorry for posting this comment so late after the publishing of this article but just feel like i have to comment. I dont understand what the big deal about expats is. if expats are qualified enough and find a job in the GCC then the pay is going to be very good. The point of this pay is to take it to home country and spend it there. i dont think locals will have a problem with expats spending ALL thier money here. Question is why is an expatriate here to begin with. usually the answer will be to earn money. so be carefull. expats want to be recognized but dont stray too far from your purpose here.

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Posted by: Ed B Monday, 5 December 2011 1:53 PM[UAE] - UAE

The UAE has a lot to thank to its visionary leadership that enabled success to come to its country. From all the Middle East countries I have lived and worked, the UAE stands out when it comes to vision. I hear always a lot of criticism about all sorts of things, but its is clear the UAE leaders are listening. I'm sure that during the next years, the gap between UAE and other Gulf states will get larger, its will resolve much of the current issues, slowly, but it will get there.

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Posted by: SSv Sunday, 4 December 2011 12:33 PM[UAE] - UAE

Trade is the cornerstone of development which in the GCC's case is: oil money for expat's work. Kuwait is the richest of all GCC for quite a long time until recently when Qatar took over. They have lot of money but no development as they are not as open for trade as Dubai or Doha.

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Posted by: Clay Sunday, 4 December 2011 12:32 PM[UAE] - UAE

@Abdul Hafeez Sheikh... one more thing! You said that expatriates are here to earn and go away and not help in bad times... I'll tell you why: the nationals make the expatriates feel unwelcome! you want us but you don't want us! That's funny! We don't have equal rights, even if we lived here for 50 years we don't qualify for citizenship, preference is given to nationals and GCC citizens over others.
The country has developed due to the rulers' foresight, guidance and leadership AND the expats without whom nothing would have been possible!

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Posted by: Clay Sunday, 4 December 2011 9:42 AM[UAE] - UAE

The article fails to appreciate the hundreds of thousands of labourers who toil under the hot sun creating the mega towers and malls, etc. As usual, the emphasis is on the rich and famous.

@Abdul Hafeez Sheikh... For the Nationals to really appreciate and understand the value of money, they have to work for it! I don't deny there are many who really work hard and deserve everything they earned... BUT there are too many who think they deserve the luxuries just because they are nationals. They want to be no less than managers and earn starting salaries of AED 15K and do NOTHING at work! If you want to control every company in UAE then you have to show that you are willing to work for it and have the right education for it.

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