Hunting a Job in Dubai

Dubai, being a cultural and trading hub with no trade barriers, hosts an expansive job market for people of all fields of professions. Jobs in Dubai are open for all regardless of geographical boundaries, and applicants’ countries of origin and nationalities. The emirate’s strategic location has helped it attract an overwhelming response from world’s top businesses which now are cashing in on all the incredible trade opportunities Dubai has to offer. The continuous boom in business and trade has laid Dubai’s job market open wide for all with enhanced availability of jobs in Dubai. The last few years have seen a rapid surge in Dubai’s population which is gaining momentum with each passing year. It is estimated that each day up to 800 visas are issued to the new arrivals in Dubai. The emirate’s population, which till date counts 1.6 million, is most likely to touch the 3.5 million mark by the year 2010. And a substantial proportion of this population is made up of expatriates, most of whom plan to make their careers in Dubai and find suitable and well paying jobs in Dubai.

Although Dubai’s job market offers opportunities in all fields, the top business operations in Dubai are the ones that deal with trade, transportation, tourism, distribution, consulting and processing. The hot jobs in Dubai include hotel jobs, accounting jobs and banking jobs. Teaching jobs and sales & marketing jobs in Dubai also constitute a huge market. Construction jobs in Dubai have an even larger market and countless opportunities for the professionals in the field.

Before embarking on a career in Dubai, it’s wise to know the rudiments of employment in Dubai. Fortunately enough, employees in Dubai are well protected by the local labor law. The law covers employees’ complete worklife including working hours, medical care and other benefits, leave, termination rights, and not least, repatriation. There exist no labor unions in Dubai. Foreigners are inducted on contract basis the duration of which varies from business to business. The general rule for vacations allows 21 off days per year throughout the first five years of service, which afterwards becomes 30 off days per year. Normally, there are eight working hours per day or 48 per week. But for people working in hotels, retail trade or other similar organizations, the working hours can exceed to nine daily. The case for difficult or dangerous jobs is different for which workweeks are shorter.

As in most of other Muslim countries, Friday is the Sunday equivalent in Dubai, i.e. the day of rest. Two-shift system prevails in most of the establishments. Weekly working hours are different for Dubai’s government bodies and private companies with the latter working 40-45 hours a week i.e. 10-15 more working hours than the prior. However, in the holy month of Ramadan, working hours are reduced by about two hours a day. Traditionally in Dubai, the weekends have been Thursday afternoons and Fridays, but many businesses have now changed to a 2-day weekend with Friday and Saturday holidays.

So for those who are looking forward to getting a job in Dubai, the task is no difficult, and to one’s satisfaction, the local employment framework meets all the international standards.