The UAE has emerged as the world’s second most hardworking country, following Butan which holds the top spot, according to data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
According to the duke+mir UAE 2024 spotlight, although residents clock in an average of 50.9 hours of work per week, they ‘are busy in their free time’, and over 97 percent of survey respondents revealed that they enjoy ‘out of home’ entertainment.
Top entertainment forms
- Watching movies at home – 83 percent
- Watching live sports at home – 68 percent
- Dining out – 68 percent
- Playing sports – 66 percent
- Reading books – 64 percent
- Playing video games – 53 percent
- Watching live sports events in-person – 37 percent
- Going to the cinema – 24 percent
- Attending a live performance event – 23 percent
The latest data from duke+mir revealed that the average person in the UAE spends eight hours and 11 minutes per day online, half of which involves gaming.
In addition, residents showed a ken interest in dining out. Seven out of 10 people dine out every week.
The subscription economy
A significant portion of UAE residents subscribe to various paid entertainment services:
- 81 percent have at least one paid entertainment subscription.
- 49 percent use entertainment streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
- 48 percent have home TV subscriptions through providers like du or Etisalat.
- 23 percent subscribe to music or podcast streaming services.
- 21 percent pay for sports streaming services such as beIN Connect and Starzplay.
- 19 percent are signed up for video gaming subscriptions.
- 12 percent use online fitness and wellness subscriptions.
- 11 percent have eBook subscriptions.
- 8 percent subscribe to paid magazine and news services.
On Sunday, Arabian Business reported that the number of private sector Emirati citizens has reached a record number of over 100,000. This indicates a significant increase as compared to previous years, with the last two and a half years seeing 70,000 employees.
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