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Expats continue to flock to the UAE for lucrative job opportunities
but many look to leave after a short period, particularly those with children

The UAE falls into the fourth quartile in both the Expat Economics and Expat Experience league tables, ranking 20th and 23rd respectively.

The UAE competes with other global financial centres with its high number of career driven expats; 65% of those who relocate to the UAE do so for job opportunities. Expats still see the UAE as a growing expat destination. More than half (51%) see the country heading in the right direction and 49% think the country is getting better as a place for expats to live and work. On top of this, 77% of expats in the UAE are satisfied with the economy against a global average of 59%. However, as with many Middle Eastern countries a higher than average proportion of expats are looking to leave, with many citing rising living costs (45%) or family needs (37%) as a reason for leaving.

The UAE ranked in the bottom half of the Raising Children Abroad league tables, scoring poorly for health and wellbeing, and social integration. A third (34%) of expats said their children failed to integrate while in the UAE.

With the high temperatures the country experiences during peak summer months, it is perhaps unsurprising that the UAE ranks the highest in the survey for the amount of time children spend watching TV (48% of children spend more time watching TV) or playing computer games (44% of children spend more time playing computer games). These factors have had an impact on the Raising Children Abroad scores, with 38% of parents reporting their children were missing home. Most parents also report it is more expensive to raise a child in the UAE than in their home country (87%).

However, financial incentives prevail in this country, with 69% of expats earning more money since relocation. This factor helps to build the positive outlook noted by many, with 70% of expats having a better quality of life in the UAE than in their home country.

"Be very flexible and be ready to adjust to, the laidback style of working in Dubai." – Expat in the UAE

Profile of UAE based expats surveyed in 2012:

Sample size: 1067
Country of origin: India (48%);
Pakistan (12%);
UK (11%)
Occupation: Banking (17%);
Construction (15%);
IT (7%)
Age: 18-34 (50%); 35-54 (44%); 55+ (6%)
Gender: Male (64%); Female (36%)

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