Beyond excellent infrastructure and business and tax-friendly environments, the availability of a high and diverse range of opportunities for professional development is fast emerging as the new pivot catapulting Dubai as the fast emerging global destination for young and emerging talents from around the world, a new survey revealed.
While young and upwardly mobile professionals from IT and marketing form the majority, fields as diverse as music, design and real estate also account for significant numbers of new immigrants to Dubai.
The newer lot of immigrants to the city is primarily composed of young professionals, with majority – as high as 59 percent – falling within the 25-34 age range, while a significant chunk of them – about 32 percent – are just in the 18-24 age group, the latest survey by Colife, a global property management and rental services firm, showed.
“Whether it’s professionals in IT, marketing, etc., or young talents looking for opportunities in fields such as music or design, Dubai is now emerging as a destination for those pursuing dreams and career advancement, besides, of course, a good quality of life,” Ilnara Muzafyarova, CEO of Colife, a global property management and rental services company, told Arabian Business.
“As these individuals navigate their journeys, Dubai cements its status not only as a global business hub but also as a diverse cultural and professional hub that attracts ambitious professionals from around the world,” Muzafyarova said.
Colife, closely associated with people moving to Dubai for work or looking for work as it is among the leading providers of short-term and long-term rental services in the city, conducted the survey among tenants to study the profiles of the immigrants as also the reasons for their decisions to relocate to the emirate.
The survey clearly showed that Dubai’s appeal now goes beyond the oft-repeated reasons such as its well-developed infrastructure, tax-friendly, long-residency visa policies, and safety environment, with “unlimited opportunities” for career development emerging as the topmost factor.
Majority of new immigrants came to work, many to experiment
The survey showed that the majority of the new immigrants – 73 percent of the surveyed Dubai tenants – came to the city for work, while the remaining 27 percent relocated to the city “independently” – to experiment to advance their careers in various fields, taking advantage of the opportunities here.
Colife said 32 percent of those surveyed, including its own clients, have lived in Dubai for over a year, while 23 percent for more than six months, 27 percent for 4-6 months, 14 percent for 1-3 months. Just four percent of them recently moved to the UAE.
“The majority of these young professionals plan to work in Dubai for a year or more (73 percent), while 14 percent will reside in the city for at least six months, and another 13 percent intend to stay in the emirate for a minimum of 1-3 months,” the survey said.
“The reasons for relocating to Dubai vary for each individual, but what attracted the professionals the most is the plethora of opportunities emerging in the city in diverse spheres,” it said.
Dubai now one of the leading cities globally in attracting valuable specialists
The survey findings come as an icing for Dubai which has figured among the top 25 cities in the world for attracting and retaining qualified professionals, innovative ideas, and capital for the third consecutive year in 2023.
According to management consulting company Kearney, Dubai has of late become a magnet for transnational corporations establishing their headquarters for working in the emirate, due to its world-class infrastructure, favorable tax environment, availability of qualified workforce, high levels of safety, and transportation accessibility.
The statement of David, a 30-year old, Chief IT Officer at a modern coffee shop in Dubai, reiterates the assessment by Kearney. “I moved to Dubai because our development focus is currently here, and it’s crucial to be present. Plus, it was just interesting to experience living in this city,” David, who goes by a single name, said.
The Harvard Business Review (HBR) has put Dubai even on a higher pedestal, citing that the emirate has emerged as one of the leading cities globally in attracting valuable specialists, securing the third position in the journal’s rankings.
The relocation of Hannah, a vocal and Piano teacher, and Victor, a 25-year-old real estate agent – among the many sector specialists quoted in the Colife survey – could be examples of what the HBR findings showed.
“I moved to Dubai a year and a half ago after receiving a job offer. Currently, I teach vocals at a private school,” the Colife survey, quoted Hannah as saying, while for Victor, “It was the unlimited opportunities, high quality of life, service standards, and salaries.”
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