Retirement in the UAE is no longer seen as a single milestone, but as a flexible journey of multiple career breaks, according to HSBC’s latest Quality of Life: Affluent Investor Snapshot survey.
The findings show that 81 per cent of UAE respondents are confident in their financial planning to support multiple “mini retirements”, higher than the global average of 74 per cent.
Among those planning them, 73 per cent in the UAE expect to take two or more breaks during their lifetime to realign, reflect and pursue renewed goals.
UAE mini retirements
Key motivations among UAE respondents include:
- Spending more time with family (31 per cent)
- Starting a business or entrepreneurial project (27 per cent)
- Living an international lifestyle (27 per cent)
Challenges include anxiety about re-entering the job market (34 per cent), family obligations (33 per cent), and healthcare benefit concerns (33 per cent).
Most respondents plan to fund these breaks through personal savings (40 per cent), investment returns (39 per cent) and rental income (37 per cent).
Dinesh Sharma, Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking (IWPB), Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye at HSBC, said: “It is interesting to see how attitudes towards retirement are evolving in the UAE. The increasing confidence people demonstrate in considering and planning for multi retirements – and their appetite for multiple, intentional career breaks – demonstrates a more dynamic and rewarding vision of what retirement can be.”
Gen Z and Millennials in the UAE are leading the charge, aspiring to take more mini retirements compared with older generations. On average, respondents in the UAE expect 3.2 mini retirements across their lifetime – the highest among all surveyed markets.
For many, this new “work–retire–realign–repeat” model follows a six-year cycle. Over half (51 per cent) of UAE respondents plan two to three breaks, while 22 per cent expect more than three, typically spaced around six years apart.
Crucially, 82 per cent believe mini retirements will positively impact their overall quality of life, compared with the global average of 74 per cent.
Dr Cora Pettipas, Financial Planner and Retirement Specialist at HSBC, said: “Multi retirements are a mindset shift, with some individuals increasingly taking time out to focus on living their wealth, not just accumulating it. They aren’t viewing it as stopping work, rather, taking new directions that feel more aligned to their values and needs of their families.”
Planning your multi retirement
Dr Pettipas recommends asking the following questions when planning a career break:
- What would you do with your planned break to make it truly meaningful?
- If you could move anywhere without constraints, where would you go – and when?
- What can you make part of your day now to realise your aspirations?
- What’s powering your next chapter – a side hustle, a bold idea, or new freedom?
- What would it mean to spend more quality time with the people you love?
- Fast forward six years – what small step will your future self thank you for today?
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