When it comes to the current job market, the UAE remains a very competitive destination with a positive outlook for professionals looking for a position or planning to relocate to this expat haven.
In fact, the UAE offers many high points that attract expats from all over the world, including a thriving expat community, a vibrant lifestyle with plenty of opportunities for recreation and entertainment, and a safe environment where crime is a rarity.
If you’re looking for a job or planning to relocate to the UAE, now may be the best time to do so as the country was voted the No 1 destination to live and work in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) in a survey recently published by Bayt.com. The survey shows that Abu Dhabi and Dubai consistently score in the top three cities across all considerations.
While Abu Dhabi is the No 1 Mena city when it comes to health insurance and social security systems, but also labour rights, termination rights and end-of-service benefits, Dubai leads in terms of the number of jobs available, competitive salaries, career growth, holiday allowances and benefits offered to working parents.
Sharjah, on the other hand, is among the top three cities with the most affordable housing in the region.
Top city or not, relocating to any other country or city implies setting your job search in motion. It’s important that you plan and work on your job search strategies well ahead of time. When looking for a role in the UAE, the length of a typical job search can last from three to six months and will depend on several factors such as your target industry, career level and so on.
To help you plan and organise your search, here are a few steps to follow:
1. Research the market
Start your research before you make the move. Whether it’s a job in media, engineering or the oil and gas industry, find out more about the local big players and where they are located. If you are interested in finding a job with a particular employer, see if they are hiring on their website or job board on leading job sites in the Middle East region.
2. Set a routine and stick to it
Since employers take time to review CV applications and because your time is limited, apply at least a month in advance before you come to the UAE, if relocating from another country. Once you arrive, make it a point to update your contact information on your CV immediately. Keep applying for jobs and refreshing your online CV to ensure it is always on top of employers’ search results.
3. Update your CV
Many job seekers make the mistake of not updating their CV until the very last minute. Keep in mind that regularly updating your CV will ensure employers find you, even if they don’t have a vacancy posted. Make sure you include details such as the industries you are targeting, targeted job roles, career highlights, key skills, etc as all this will make your CV “searchable” online.
4. Create an online profile
Once your CV is online, create an online profile with a personalised link. The benefit of this is that it enables employers to find you through search engines such as Google. Your online profile also becomes your online business card and enables you to make connections and get other professionals to endorse your skills.
5. Network
Networking isn’t easy, especially if you are new to the city. So research any job fairs happening any time soon. This would be an excellent opportunity for you to not only meet employers, but also conduct informational interviews with the company representatives. An informational interview can help you expand your network in the new city. You can also ask other job seekers which companies would be the best to apply to, get advice on applying there, and get new contacts for your network.
6. Follow up
Once you are in the city, send out follow-up emails to companies you have applied to. Let them know that you will be available for interviews and that you’d like to schedule an interview to meet them in person. Even if you are not successful in lining up actual job interviews, at least you will have informational interviews set up for you to get more details about the company and its job vacancies.
Lama Ataya heads the marketing department at Bayt.com
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47