Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Work / Life

Public sector jobs have traditionally been preferred by Emiratis, but the Nafis programme seeks to change those perceptions

UAE to invest $1.7bn to place more Emiratis in private sector jobs

The UAE is aiming to add 36,000 Emiratis to the private sector workforce this year and has approved a $1.7 billion budget to support Emiratisation. The number of UAE nationals working in the private sector was about 92,000 by the end of 2023, according to the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council. Nearly 42,000 joined private businesses […]

Workers in Bangladesh wait to travel to Saudi Arabia. Migrant workers have been sending remittances in smaller amounts.

Saudi remittances fall as expats invest domestically

Expatriate remittances from Saudi Arabia have fallen over the past two years, despite a rise in the number of overseas workers needed to develop the kingdom’s slate of huge giga-projects. Some experts have predicted the slump in funds sent back home could be as a result of improved investment opportunities inside the kingdom.  Yearly remittances […]

Hive Coliv co-living

Millennial ‘co-living’ concept gains momentum in Gulf

The appetite for “co-living”, a form of communal housing that offers private rooms and shared spaces, is on the rise in the GCC, and more investors are entering the sector.  Co-living as a sub-segment of residential property has gained in popularity in markets such as the UK and the US, as developers seek to provide […]

These workers at a factory in Manama, Bahrain, could soon be enjoying a three-day weekend if the government goes ahead with proposed changes

Kuwait and Bahrain propose changes to working week

Lawmakers in Kuwait and Bahrain are pushing for major amendments to the working week, aiming to improve workers’ rights and boost the work-life balance in the two Gulf states. In Bahrain, the focus is on extending the weekend to three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  “There is an urgent need to keep pace with global […]

Retired people in the UAE will be encouraged to use the skills developed across their careers to develop small businesses in Dubai

Dubai launches small business plan to support Emirati retirees 

Retired emiratis are being incentivised to run their own companies after the launch of the Dubai Retiree Projects Support programme this week. The scheme is part of the Dubai Social Agenda 33, which aims to create a more proactive social system. Benefits include priority for government contracts, financing of future projects, exemption from service fees […]

The Avenues – Khobar will feature two shopping malls and hotels

The Avenues – Khobar to be built by Kuwait developer

Kuwaiti developer Shomoul Holding this week launched a retail and residential project in the eastern Saudi city of Khobar worth SAR7.2 billion ($1.92 billion), securing a SAR4.35 billion loan for the first stage of construction.  The government’s Tourism Development Fund, set up in 2020, provided the loan along with a consortium led by National Arab […]

Breast cancer screening at a UAE hospital. An increasing amount of retiring expats in the region are in need of health insurance

Zurich Middle East plots growth on needs of expats

Zurich International Life, the Middle East division of Switzerland’s Zurich Insurance Group, is expanding its core business in response to rising demand from expatriates.  With expats staying in the region for longer, there is a growing need for products and services such as life insurance, workplace savings plans and critical illness cover. There is also […]

Time for a change: Saudi Arabia is to use the Western calendar for all purposes except in Islamic contexts

Saudi Arabia shifts to Western calendar

Saudi Arabia is to shift towards using the Gregorian calendar in all official transactions, reserving the Islamic system only for religious occasions, the cabinet said this week, in a move that could presage aligning the weekend with international norms.  A statement was issued on October 31 after a cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed […]

Haven is the first of three new residential communities to be developed in Dubai as part of a joint venture between Aldar and Dubai Holding

Aldar to break ground on first Dubai project next year

Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s largest developer, has launched its first Dubai residential project, Haven, with construction of the first phase starting in the second quarter of 2024. The project will be developed with its joint venture partner Dubai Holding on the land opposite Al Habtoor Polo Resort in Dubailand. Aldar’s Haven will be built in […]

Expat employees in the UAE traditionally leave with a "golden goodbye" bonus. But this is starting to change

Expats in UAE get ready to leave ‘golden goodbye’ behind

The “golden goodbye” has long been a staple of UAE office life. Expat staff are handed a lump sum by their employer when they leave, based on a percentage of their salary and length of service.  But the practice is starting to change. More companies are looking to set up workplace pension and saving plans instead.  […]

Dubai real estate value

Dubai real estate is ‘fairly valued’ says UBS

Dubai real estate still offers value for money compared with some of its global peers, a new report by investment bank UBS has claimed. But according to one real estate expert, residents in the emirate could soon be priced out of the market if the ongoing supply and demand imbalance continues. In the year leading […]

UAE wellbeing

UAE decking out offices to promote worker wellbeing

The UAE is increasingly adopting building standards that meet employee demand for office conditions that enhance wellbeing. The Middle East has witnessed a 24-fold increase in Well Building Standard adoption over the last 19 months, with a large majority coming from the UAE. The Well Building Standard is an international system that measures, monitors and […]