The United Arab Emirates is the most popular global destination for expat professionals, says networking social media site LinkedIn.
The main attractions are large tax-free salaries and exceptional job prospects in a growing economy, according to the survey of the site’s 300 million members.
The latest GDP figures show the UAE economy is increasing by around 5.7% a year in comparison to less than 2% for many developed economies.
The economy looks set to continue health GDP growth after winning the Expo 2020 vote as the government pledged to pump billions into developing infrastructure into the two main cities of Abu Dhabi, the capital, and Dubai.
LinkedIn’s research tracked how member moved around the world for work, and from a list of 20 leading countries attracting expat professionals, the UAE was a clear leader, increasing the number of jobs by 1.3% in the past year.
Top talent exporters
And, according to the web site, the demand for professionals is so great; most of the posts go to expats from outside the Middle East.
Only 25% of the talent going to the UAE is from the Middle East or North Africa, while 40% of all expats moving to the country reported they had gained a promotion.
Although talent is flowing into the UAE from all over the world, the main sources were India, Britain and Pakistan.
The LinkedIn research identified the main talent pools for the UAE as:
- India
- United Kingdom
- Pakistan
- United States
- Saudi Arabia
Despite the flood of new professionals moving to the UAE, the demand for new talent keeps growing, according to local recruitment companies.
Shortage of professionals
Robert Half UAE says the region is crying out top professionals to fill project-critical posts, especially from the UK and USA.
Recruiters explain that the UAE has a shortage of home-grown professionals for top jobs and companies are focusing on Europe and North America to fill key roles.
Professionals with skills and experience in the following fields are particularly sought after:
- Management & Leadership
- Engineering
- Sales
- Accounting
- Lifestyle
The survey also looked at the top global talent exporters. Spain topped the list, mainly due to a 26% unemployment rate follow years of financial crisis that has plunged the country into a recession that still seems not to have hit rock-bottom.
Italy and Ireland also ranked in the top five. Again both countries have suffered numbing recessions and job losses due to financial crisis. The UK and USA took the other two places.
