Dubai Dream Over or Western Workers Still Wanted?

An incredibly fascinating yet damning article in this week’s Sunday Times likens modern day Dubai to Sodom and claims that racism abounds in this state in the United Arab Emirates.  The article by Rod Liddle highlights the fact that Emiratis generally disrespect Westerners and disapprove of our way of life, and that most foreign nationals living in Dubai find the local male citizens to be offensive, with one taxi driver cited as saying: “they are arrogant scum.”

The ‘truth’ about Dubai is now coming out as the dream fades and the economy fails.  The locals are refusing to turn a blind eye to the excesses of the West that have been imported along with hundreds of thousands of Western workers, because they are embittered that their lavish lifestyles are at risk because capitalism and corruption are just not working in Dubai.

So, is the Dubai dream over as suggested in many damning and damaging articles of late, or are Western workers still wanted or at least needed in Dubai?  And why are we asking these questions anyway?!  Well, we still get requests for information from would-be workers wanting to move to Dubai on a weekly basis.  It seems that the tax-free lifestyle and strong salaries that Dubai had on offer are still wanted – even if the lifestyle is a little less than perfect.  So we decided to review what the opportunities are like in Dubai at the moment for anyone still committed to getting a job in the emirate.

Rod Liddle’s portrayal of Dubai is accurate – in so far as every event he writes about is factual.  However, there is more to Dubai than just the seedier side of life in prostitute filled bars or on construction sites filled with slave labour…and if you choose to look past this side of the emirate for your own personal gain, then there is indeed more to Dubai. 

The dream that Dubai was paradise on earth was very hard to ignore for a very long time.  Dubai was a physical manifestation of opulence and plenty, it was a place where dreams could come true, and where fantasies were turned into reality with massive loans that meant Dubai’s foreign debt was well above 100% of its GDP even before the economic collapse happened!  The biggest, best and most expensive and amazing of everything were for sale or under construction in Dubai, it was a city and a state welcoming more foreign workers per month than any nation in the world.  And it very quickly became the most extravagant playground, not just for the rich and famous, (in fact, they have been relatively conspicuous by their absence or at least by their inconspicuous presence), but for every day people like you and like me.

In Dubai tax-free living is still a reality.  Salaries are paid free from the fetters of income tax and for those who have in demand skills – such as management experience, IT or finance skills – salaries are handsome as are the relocation benefits of moving to live in Dubai.  You may have your rent subsidised, you will be able to put your children through private schools, have a maid and even have flights home every year so you can visit your family.  You can shop til you drop in the best malls in the world, sunbathe every day and even party if you want because the bars, clubs and restaurants are there for you to enjoy.  And now that property prices have fallen by 50% with up to a further 20% still expected, you can happily haggle your way to home ownership in Dubai too.

There are still jobs available in Dubai as well.  However, they are not in tourism or construction – those sectors are all but dead – for the moment at least.  But Dubai still has an economy to try and save and it still has certain sectors such as healthcare and finance where Western workers’ skills are welcome – even if the western workers themselves are needed rather than wanted.

So it seems that whilst the Dubai dream is actually over – in fact it is a dream that has been shattered and one that has turned into a living nightmare for many – Western workers can still have a life in Dubai.  If you choose to take on this emirate you do so at your own peril however.  Because where once we didn’t know the truth about what went on behind the construction site scenes or in the lives of the slave labourers who make up the majority of the foreign population in Dubai, we now do know the truth.  And if you can turn a blind eye to the exploitation that is so bad it results in many committing suicide because of their utter despair, you will also have to turn a blind eye to your fellow Westerners who end up in jail or being deported with nothing to their name.  Their crimes?  Well, for women it is usually being in the wrong place, (with a man other than their husband), at the wrong time – and for men it is often owing money to the wrong people or getting into debt deeper than you can quickly get out of if you lose your job.

So as long as you go to Dubai knowing the truth, you only have yourself to blame if the dream turns sour.  But on the other hand, if you end up making a fortune off the back of this failing emirate, then good for you – just don’t brag about it to anyone else living in Dubai, whether they’re local or foreign.  Where once it was cool to have money and flash your cash and flaunt your success, today such behaviour won’t make you any true and lasting friends and it may just get the wrong person’s back up…