Career Opportunities in Doha

Doha, the capital city of Qatar, is also the economic hub of the country. Doha is also the largest city in Qatar and around 80% of Qatar’s population resides in Doha and nearby areas. The government of Qatar is also seated in Doha. Globally, Doha is mainly known for the first ministerial-level meeting of the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. Besides, another high point in the life of the city came when the 2006 Asian Games were held here. They were also the largest Asian Games ever held in history. Thus, Doha is an important Gulf city. It is also a popular career destination for expatriates. Jobs in Doha are a major puller for foreign workforce from around the globe.

The biggest evidence of this claim is that in Doha, the Qatari nationals are a minority while expatriates form the majority of population in the region. Mainly people from South Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines have migrated to take up jobs in Doha. Other than thee, there are also people from North Africa, and East Asia. Though in small numbers, but there are expatriates moving into Doha from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Australia and South Africa too. The main reason why so many expatriates enter Doha each year to take up jobs is that Doha offers lucrative, high-paying jobs to expatriates who are trained and qualified. There are jobs in gulf in all industries including jobs in Oil & Gas, jobs in Healthcare, jobs in Teaching, jobs in Real Estate, jobs in Banking, jobs in Insurance, jobs in Construction etc that one can take up in Doha.

Expatriates enjoy a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle in Doha. There are many incentives and perks too that they enjoy with their job in Doha. For most high-end jobs, employers sponsor the accommodation, transportation, healthcare insurance, one month trip to visit home country etc. This is besides the salary that they receive which is also tax-free. It is attractive incentives and tax-free salary that pulls expatriate population into Doha in such large numbers. Besides high-end jobs, there are also middle and junior level jobs that one can take up in Doha. These jobs are regularly advertised in newspapers, on job portals and on company websites.

Earlier, expatriates were not allowed to buy property in Doha. However, this law has been relaxed now and even non-Qatari citizens are allowed to own land in Doha in some regions. Once foreigners own land in Doha, they also become eligible for a renewable residency permit that allows them to live and work in Qatar. With such an inflow of foreigners in to Doha, there has been a shortage of housing in the city and it has become very expensive. Rentals are also very high.

The official religion in Doha is Islam but a cultural change was witnessed recently when land was allocated to build churches. The culture in Doha is conservative for Western expatriates in the beginning but after living here for a few years, they get used to it and start enjoying it. Owing to the huge expatriate population in Doha, there is also an open and welcome environment where expatriates are absorbed immediately. There are many networks that help expatriates settle down immediately into the city. There are also international schools that cater to the education of children of expatriates.

The economy of Doha was mainly dependent on oil and gas till recently. Doha is the economic center of Qatar and a major portion of Qatar’s oil and natural gas wealth is located in Doha. Doha also houses the headquarters of Qatar’s largest oil and gas companies. Thus, the mainstay of the economy of Doha is based on the revenue generated from the oil and natural gas industries. Thus, there are numerous petroleum jobs in Doha across functional areas and experience levels. However, there have been concerted efforts from the Qatari government to diversify into other industries as well to reduce dependence on the oil and gas industry. Therefore, Doha is in a huge developmental stage right now with all sectors witnessing a boom and good employment opportunities available in these sectors. The maximum effect has been seen on the real estate sector which is developing very fast owing to the growing demand due to an increase in population. Other sectors also present lucrative career opportunities in Doha.