For the second year in a row, Emirates Airline tops the list of most attractive employers for millennial business students in the UAE, according to a new survey.
The Swedish research company Universum Global surveyed 21,860 students and recent graduates to understand the career ambitions of Generation Y and Generation Z – the rising workforce born between 1984 and 2010.
Google and Apple – veritable millennial catnip – both trailed Emirates, the world’s biggest long-haul airline by international passengers carried and the flag carrier for Dubai. So what makes the airline the most attractive place to work for the under-35 set?
Work-life balance was cited as the most important career objective for students in the UAE in the survey, and Emirates delivers a few benefits that would certainly make life easier for a young professional.
________________
Read more:
Dubai salaries drop as recruiters and employers drive a harder bargain
London house prices set to fall this year and next, survey finds
________________
With nearly 25,000 cabin crew in its last financial year, it offers free housing and transport to and from work, benefits unique to the airline industry. If an employee does not take advantage of the complementary housing, then a housing allowance is supplied.
In May, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline, announced five weeks’ salary bonus to the group's more than 100,000 employees.
The windfall came at a tough time for the aviation industry as a whole and Emirates itself had reduced its staff by 4 per cent in the prior year. But, in a sign of brighter times ahead, the staff bonus was distributed along with that month's salary and the chief executive said no more staff reductions were planned.
At the same time, the airline reported a 124 per cent rise in profit for its last fiscal year on the back of higher revenues and a decline in the US dollar against major currencies in most of its key markets.
Also attractive to the #wanderlust generation: Emirates connects the world to, and through, its hub in Dubai to 155 destinations in 83 countries on six continents.
Melbourne, Nice, Rome and Colombo are just a few of the locales that Emirates employees can jet off to at a moment’s notice using complementary tickets as part of their employee package.
While housing, transport, bonuses and travel are perks in the life of an airline employee, Emirates is also uniquely part of the UAE’s national identity and it takes part in initiatives on a huge scale – often to major benefit for employees. For instance, Emirates participated in the most recent Dubai Fitness Challenge, encouraging employees to exercise 30 minutes every day for 30 days in a row. All employees who completed the fitness challenge were given one free ticket to travel to any destination in Emirates’ network.
Free travel and endorphins – now that's an attractive package.