Finding the Right Job Abroad

The United Arab Emirates consists of seven states (emirates): Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah, and it borders Oman and Saudi Arabia. The total land area of the UAE is over 32,000 square miles and Abu Dhabi, the capital, contains around a third of the UAE’s overall total population, which has almost tripled in the past decade due to its booming economy and now stands at 7.5 million. Saudi Arabia is 25 times bigger in terms of area and has a population of 28 million.

Dubai has established itself as an important tourist destination and port (Jebel Ali Port, constructed in the 1970s, has the largest man-made harbour in the world), with its transport links bolstered by Emirates Airlines, which was founded by the government in 1985 and is still state-owned.

Prior to the rise of the oil industry in the 1960s, native born citizens accounted for around two thirds of the UAE population – the proportion of nationals is now closer to just a fifth, while the number of expatriates living in the UAE continues to rise. Dubai, located south of the Persian Gulf, is the second largest UAE city with a population of two million, and the fastest growing city in the world with a cosmopolitan commercial centre. Dubai’s expatriates account for an astonishing 95% of its overall population, and these foreigners come from all over the world – nationalities include Indian, Pakistani, Philippine, British, American, South African and Australian. Dubai has over 200,000 new arrivals each year.