Why professionals rank UAE as dream work destination

The UAE has emerged as the top location in the world for young professionals as their dream work destination, beating the likes of China, Brazil, South Africa and India, according to a latest report.

More than 1,000 young people aged between 20 and 30 from around the globe ranked the UAE as the number one emerging market destination for professional fulfilment, according to the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 conducted by World Economic Forum.

Asked what country they would most like to relocate to in order to advance their career, respondents chose the UAE as the number one emerging markets destination over the Brics nations despite the massive scale of the latter economies.

Career advancement was the top attribute Shapers looked for in an employer, with 48 per cent choosing it among their top three attributes.

Company culture came a close second (38 per cent), followed by training and development opportunities (32 per cent).

“The Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 provides insights into how millennials see the world. In addition to the diversity that we observe, the survey also reminds us of those things that millennials value everywhere, such as social and economic equality.

"By choosing the UAE as the top emerging-markets destination, millennials are selecting a country that is very serious about professional advancement,” said Yemi Babington-Ashaye, Head of the Global Shapers Community, World Economic Forum.

“The UAE boasts a stable economy and offers many opportunities with its business-friendly practices,” added Saurabh Pacheriwala, a Global Shaper from the Surat Hub in India.

The UAE has consistently been ranked as the top global work and living destinations by a variety of surveys. In August, the country was rated as the most popular work destination in the Middle East by jobs portal www.naukrigulf.com.

Previous surveys have also underlined the growing popularity of the UAE among expat professionals globally.

Earlier this month, a report by payment services provider Western Union reaffirmed a wide variety of reasons why expats love to live and work in the UAE.

Read: Revealed: 5 compelling reasons why expats love to live and work in UAE

Another recent survey by professional networking site LinkedIn put the UAE as the most popular work destination for professionals, globally.

The UAE was revealed as a global leader in attracting talent for the second consecutive year, according to a recent global study by LinkedIn.

By analysing every new position that was added to member profiles between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014, LinkedIn determined that the UAE attracts the most talent, gaining 1.89 per cent as a percentage of its total workforce.

The findings were based on a global study of 300 million members of the site, who see UAE as the biggest talent gainer in one year.

This is the general perception and belief, including the 300 million members who use a website like LinkedIn.

And, they believe since the past two years, many professionals from across the world are once again opting to move to the UAE for better work prospects as number of jobs go up with a bigger take home salary than many other countries.

After winning the Expo 2020, UAE’s reputation as a work destination has only become better, with many people across the world believing that the country is poised for further growth in many sectors.

This will result in many jobs being created in the market, pushing up employment and more talent coming into the country.

With responses from 125 countries worldwide and 285 cities, the latest Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 is one of the most geographically diverse surveys of millennials.

The respondents are all members of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, a network of over 450 city-based hubs of young, civically engaged leaders aged between 20 and 30.

As well as highlighting the Shapers’ optimal relocation destination, the WEF survey also shone a light on the issues and challenges that resonate most among millennials across every region, as well as those factors held to be most important to them regarding career development.

At both the city and the global level, Shapers identified income inequality as the single most important issue facing the world.

However, while Shapers found youth unemployment and effective government as the second and third most important issues that needed to be addressed in their cities, at the global level climate change and education were the priorities.

The survey also suggests a generational shift might be under way in the concept of work, with respondents prioritizing the opportunity to make a difference in their society and the ability to learn over straightforward career advancement.

The Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 is released on the eve of the Summit of the Global Agenda this year.

The Co-Chairs of the Summit on the Global Agenda 2015 are Sultan Bin Saeed AlMansoori, Minister of Economy of the United Arab Emirates and Ali Majed Al Mansoori, Chairman, Department of Economic Development, Abu Dhabi.

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