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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 […]

Women GCC leadership Video length: 03:22

Only 7% of GCC board seats are held by women

Only 7 percent of board seats in the GCC are held by women compared to 20 percent globally, a report by Bain & Company says. “There is an issue in retaining, mentoring and supporting women to make it all the way to CEO positions and the board,” said Karen Khalaf, partner at Bain & Company […]

Dubai wealth super-rich

Costs rise, but no fears of a crash for Dubai’s super-rich

Dubai has surged up global cost of living rankings for the super-rich, but a leading Swiss wealth management group has no concerns the emirate could be headed for another economic crash. Dubai is the seventh most expensive city in the world for high net worth individuals (HNWIs) to live – ahead of European cities Paris […]

UAE family business disputes Video length: 04:29

Sharp rise in family disputes, says Emirati lawyer

The UAE has seen a marked increase in disputes within family-run businesses which is likely to continue, according to a leading Emirati lawyer. Habib Al Mulla has been practising in the UAE for four decades and had until five years ago only seen one dispute case involving family members and shareholders of a company. However, […]

Emirates staff bonus

Staff bonus gives Emirates lift-off in recruitment stakes

The sizeable bonus awarded by Emirates to its staff will give the Dubai airline a significant tailwind as competition for talent takes off across the region. According to an email from the company’s chairman and chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, employees have been given a 24-week bonus this month. It comes after […]

Tech layoffs Middle East Video length: 03:47
  • Video

Middle East tech sector’s hire and fire conundrum

The mass layoffs in the global tech sector last year were the highest since the dot-com bubble burst in 2001, but they are not necessarily a reflection of the job market globally or in the Middle East, according to a Dubai-based digital transformation and Web3 expert. “The layoffs only constitute 10 percent of all the […]

Worst professionals

Professions named and shamed in UAE ‘worst reputation’ survey

Recruiters have topped a list of the worst professionals to deal with in the UAE for the third year in a row, while social media influencers offering financial advice were also targeted as “infuriating”. UAE residents were asked which industries delivered the most unreliable customer service in a survey for the fifth annual “Worst Reputation” […]

Bahrain

Bahrain and UAE ranked best places for expats to set up home

Bahrain has been ranked as the best place for expats to settle, based on factors such as housing, bureaucracy, language and digitalisation. The UAE took second place in the survey by InterNations, a Munich-headquartered online community for global expats. Bahrain, the second-smallest GCC economy, scored highly for ease of administration and bureaucracy, with more than […]