Work in the United Arab Emirates. Features of labor legislation.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a union of seven emirates in the Persian Gulf region with a population of about 10 million inhabitants. This is a rich and dynamically developing country. Just half a century ago it was a backward state of desert nomads, and in place of the luxurious skyscrapers of Abu Dhabi there was a fishing village.

Everything changed when oil was discovered here. Nowadays, mostly foreigners are hired to work in the Emirates, and they earn much more than at home. The website 24travel.uz/ provides the opportunity to book tours to Dubai from Tashkent, as well as to one of thousands of cities in the world, using information provided by leading Russian and world airlines and specialized agencies for the sale of air tickets.

Pros and cons of working in the UAE

Among the advantages of living and working in the UAE are the following:

High wages;
No income tax;
Getting a work visa and resident card is not that difficult;
For most vacancies, English is sufficient;
Good social package from the company;
Employers provide recommendations after the end of the contract.

However, working in the Emirates also has significant disadvantages:

Hot desert climate;
It is very difficult to terminate a contract early without consequences;
There are no taxes, but renewing a business license costs a lot of money (several thousand dollars);
It is necessary to take into account the Muslim environment and adhere to certain religious restrictions;
Lack of political freedoms under an absolute monarchy;
You cannot obtain a work visa without an invitation from the company.

Our compatriots working in the UAE have mixed opinions about life in this country. Many people talk about unbearable working conditions (10-12 hours), difficulties in communication and personal life, and lack of free time. But all this is compensated by high earnings and comfortable business conditions.

Labor market in the Arab Emirates

There are not many working local residents in the UAE, since they live mainly on state subsidies and are not ready to work in low-paid and, in their opinion, unprestigious positions.

Some prefer to take vacancies in the public sector, where salaries are much higher. Others live on investment income. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of the country's workforce is made up of immigrants. These are mainly workers from Asia (India, Pakistan, as well as the republics of the former USSR - Uzbekistan,

Tajikistan, etc.). Among the diasporas, entire dynasties of relatives have formed who have been working here for generations. An example is people from the Indian state of Kerala. The demand for foreign labor is always high here.

Immigrants cannot qualify for government benefits. They stay in the country for as long as their contract lasts. There is no competition for jobs between locals and visitors. There is no chance of obtaining citizenship in the future. Therefore, indigenous people are calm about migrants.

There are many representative offices of large international companies in the United Arab Emirates. 90% of branch managers are expats, including from developed Western countries.

A specific feature of the local labor market is the difference in pay for different ethnic groups. The country has a medieval division of people into an elite consisting of indigenous Arabs, “white” expats and hired workers with dark skin color from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, etc. For the same job, a “white” person usually receives more than a South Asian migrant. Of the visiting workers, British citizens are in the most privileged position, since the Emirates is a former British colony. The percentage of visitors to the indigenous population is reflected in the infographic:

Specialties in demand in the United Arab Emirates

The professions listed below are most in demand in the Emirates.

Workers at construction sites. Construction in the UAE is very intensive, so specialists of all professions are needed here - from general workers, masons, electricians to construction engineers, industrial climbers, foremen and realtors.
Oil workers. Work in the UAE in the oil industry remains highly paid, despite the decline in oil production (its share in GDP has dropped to 5%). This requires both low-skilled workers and middle and senior managers.
Workers in the banking and financial sectors. The United Arab Emirates is very attractive for investment, so there is always a demand for financial analysts, managers, traders, and bank employees.
Drivers, including taxi drivers. Abu Dhabi is a busy transport hub. An international driver's license is required to operate.
Hotel administrators at the reception. The tourism industry in the Emirates is actively developing. Therefore, the demand for hotel workers will only grow.
Restaurant service. There are thousands of restaurants in Dubai, representing the cuisine of different nations of the world. Cooks, bartenders and waiters are always in demand.
Doctors. Proof of a medical degree and certificates of English or Arabic language proficiency are required.
IT specialists. System administrators, developers, programmers will find highly paid jobs in the Emirates, because the government encourages the development of innovation.
Flight attendants. Recruitment is carried out by the country's national carriers - Emirates, Etihad, FlyDubai airlines. The interview is conducted in large cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg). If the applicant passes the selection process (usually 5-10 candidates out of 100 are selected), he is issued a visa, paid for flights and corporate training.

Applicants applying for the positions of animators, parking attendants, salespeople, au pairs, teachers, cleaners, and maids will also be able to find work in the Emirates.

The most common vacancies in hotels in the UAE:

Waiter;
Bartender;
Cook;
Supervisor at a restaurant;
Administrator (Receptionist);
Guest Relation;
Head waiter (Hostess);
Butler.

Pay attention to the current recruitment and vacancies in the new 5* hotel in Dubai

When applying for a job in the UAE, the following is provided at the employer’s expense:

resident (work) visa for 3 years with the possibility of extension;
free flight to the UAE from the city of residence and back (after 2 years of work);
accommodation, travel to work and 3 meals a day;
uniforms and uniform dry cleaning;
full medical insurance;
annual paid leave (26 days);
trainings with obtaining international certificates and career opportunities.

Employment in the UAE for Ukrainians

One of the richest countries in the world is a great place to start. The state is developing at a rapid pace, new hotels, restaurants, shops are opening, and the need for qualified workers is constantly increasing. According to official statistics, the majority of service sector workers are emigrants from other countries (about 70 - 75%).

People from more than 200 countries have found work in Dubai. What is especially attractive is that the state is constantly looking for qualified personnel from other countries. There is always work in the UAE for men and women of different ages, as well as the opportunity for career growth.

See also: Working as a truck driver in Europe for Russian vacancies

Recently, the UAE government has decided to reduce its dependence on oil and gas production. Therefore, the tourism and financial sectors are actively developing. High salaries allow us to attract qualified workers from all over the world. The list of vacancies is constantly updated.

The official language of the country is Arabic, but most residents speak good English. Many European corporations operate in the country, where English is a priority.

The country has loyal laws and a transparent tax system. And the low crime rate allows migrants to feel comfortable and protected. The main population is Muslim, but they are loyal to other religions, and conflicts do not arise on this basis.

Working in the UAE for Ukrainians opens up real prospects for feeling like a part of a rapidly developing country, expanding their horizons, improving their language skills and improving their financial situation.

Requirements for immigrants

Any foreign citizen who meets the following requirements can work in the UAE:

Age not older than 50 years;
Good health and physical endurance;
Availability of an invitation from the company;
Knowledge of Arabic or English.

If work in the Emirates requires high qualifications and specialized education, then confirmation of a diploma may be required. It is carried out according to the following scheme:

Obtaining a certificate from the university archive about its graduation;
Translation of an educational document into Arabic and its notarization;
Confirmation of the activities of a notary in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation;
Certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the stamp of the Ministry of Justice;
Submission of documents to the consular office of the United Arab Emirates.

Requirements for candidates to work in the UAE for Russian vacancies

It is easier for highly qualified foreign citizens with extensive work experience at home in the United Arab Emirates to find work. There is always a demand for professionals.

Without work experience or education, but with knowledge of English, you can complete specialized courses and then get a decent job with the possibility of career growth. Without knowledge of the language, you can only count on a low-paid position.

Specifics of labor migration to Dubai

Dubai is considered one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It is expected that over the next 3 years the city’s population will increase by at least 300 thousand people, and by 2030 it will exceed 3.4 million.

A stable political situation, a thriving economy and a flexible labor market attract thousands of foreign specialists from various professions to Dubai. Only through the grandiose event of the World Expo 2020, local authorities plan to create at least 270 thousand additional jobs.

Employment in Dubai and living in the UAE for a long period requires foreigners to have certain preparations. For example, the city has a very hot climate with little rainfall throughout the year. In summer, the air temperature reaches 45–50 degrees Celsius in the shade.

Fortunately, most hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, offices and public transport are maximally equipped with air conditioning. The dominant religion in the country is Islam. You need to respect the culture and customs of the local people.

Living in Dubai is very expensive. Apartment rent, food, essential goods and other services take up a significant part of the salary. By the way, unlike most countries in the Middle East, in some areas of the UAE the sale of real estate and land to foreigners is allowed.

In fact, Dubai is a stunningly beautiful city with very liberal laws by Muslim standards, friendly residents and magnificent architecture. Unfortunately, getting a job in Dubai today is quite difficult. First of all, you need to understand the mechanism of labor migration itself.

How to get a job in the UAE in 2021 for Russian-speaking vacancies

The most difficult issue for those who want to get a good job in Dubai is finding a company that would become a guarantor for a foreign employee. Without this, moving to the UAE will be much more difficult, if not impossible.

There is work for Russians in the United Arab Emirates. You should look for vacancies on the Internet or by contacting specialized employment agencies abroad. However, you should be very careful here. Cases where an intermediary took his commission for applying for a job in Dubai without providing the agreed list of services occur very often. For example, they may promise a vacancy as an administrator in a hotel with a salary of $3,000, but in reality it turns out that they meant a position as a maid or waitress.

How to find a job in Dubai? If there are no problems with English, then it is better to start your search on international sites, but avoid little-known Internet resources. Often, outright scammers are hiding behind them. The intermediary receives his commission for each employee found.

Employment process and documents for working in the UAE

The process of official employment is not technically complicated, since the paperwork is mainly handled by the company.

Work Visa

Obtaining a visa to work in the Emirates is an integral part of the employment procedure. The employer begins to draw up the document. He requests from the applicant a resume or a completed application form, two photographs, scanned copies of pages of a foreign passport, as well as certificates of language proficiency and educational documents.

If the UAE Immigration Service decides to issue a visa, a confirmation letter will be sent to the applicant within 3 weeks by email. The letter must be printed on a color printer and shown to the border control officer upon entry. The visa will be stamped into your passport at the border. Employment Entry Visa is a temporary permit, its validity period is 60 days. A referral for a medical examination is also issued here.

Opening an electronic labor card

For each foreign worker, the immigration service issues an electronic labor card with a personal ID. This document is both a work permit and a kind of analogue of a work book. To ensure that it does not lose its validity, you must register with the local police every 6 months.

What is a residence card

During the 60-day period of validity of a temporary visa, the employer is obliged to issue a resident card to the newly admitted employee and affix a resident visa for 3 years to the passport. The document can be extended if you continue to work in the UAE. The employer is responsible for the extension. A residence card gives you the opportunity to live and work in the country, buy movable property, open bank accounts, and invite relatives to visit.

Minimum wage

Low salaries in Dubai are mainly received by those who do manual work. In the majority, it goes to citizens of Asian countries, mainly immigrants from India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Pakistan. They work 12-hour shifts for weeks on end. The low salary category includes:

nannies;
maids;
security guards;
gardeners;
drivers.

How much does a janitor earn in Dubai? Since this is manual work, it is low-paid. Janitors receive $500 monthly. But they are provided with free housing, which attracts foreigners.

The minimum wages for maids, for example, are equal to those established by the local government. Russian women receive higher salaries. They are valued for their balance and patience. Girls from other countries have different salaries:

female workers from Sri Lanka - 850 dirhams;
from India – 1100;
Bangladesh - 750;
Indonesia – 800;
from the Philippines - 1400 dirhams.

Work in the service and tourism sectors is poorly paid. Secretaries and administrators receive a small salary. But the salary increases significantly when employees reach the level of assistant manager. The level of remuneration is greatly influenced by knowledge of foreign languages, especially Arabic.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES

UAE labor law (Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 as amended) governs employment issues in all UAE emirates. Employers are required to comply with legal provisions regarding minimum wages, overtime, working hours, mandatory payments on holidays, paid leave, electronic payment of wages, as well as minimum payments upon dismissal of an employee. A separate employment law applies to employees of the Dubai International Financial Centre. Employers in Dubai are required to provide health insurance to their citizens and permanent residents.

In addition, for employees from UAE citizens, mandatory pension contributions from wages must be made, as well as the transfer of an additional larger share by employers.

High salary

Accountants and architects, pilots and lawyers can count on high salaries. As already mentioned, doctors also belong to this category. Managers and immediate supervisors of companies receive large salaries, but it is quite difficult to achieve such positions here. Directors of construction or information technology earn well - 48,000 and 90,000 dirhams.

The salary of a lawyer is 55,000, an auditor and controller is 48,000. Financiers receive up to 75,000 dirhams monthly. The salary of executive directors reaches one hundred thousand. Bank executives receive up to Dh135,000. Chief accountants earn slightly less.

Teachers' salaries

Working as a teacher in Dubai brings a small profit to the latter. Teachers receive only Dh2,000 per month. But this is not the final bet. For example, teachers at private foreign schools receive between Dh5,000 and Dh15,000. Some teachers are even luckier. Their salary reaches 20 thousand monthly.

Interestingly, teacher pay, even within the same school, can vary greatly. This largely depends on the nationality of the teacher. In government agencies they receive from 25 thousand dirhams. In addition to nationality, remuneration also depends on work experience.

Salaries in real estate

Real estate jobs in Dubai are very popular. Agents and realtors are in great demand. A senior manager receives between 15-40 thousand dirhams monthly. The amount of wages directly depends on the number of transactions carried out.

A property appraiser receives approximately 20-30 thousand monthly. And the salary of an advertising manager starts from 24,000.

How he found a job as a waiter in Dubai with a salary of $2,000

Since the age of 18, Konstantin had already dreamed of how he could move and find a job in Dubai. It was then, back in Ukraine, that he began independently sending out resumes for the position of a waiter. Two years of fruitless searches led to nothing. Kostya found his first job through a recruiting agency, which promised a lot of things, but in fact the job provided did not meet the expected conditions: a terrible place and a small salary.

Only $500 + accommodation (housing, food, transportation) came out “clean”. By the way, you can find out about the salaries of a waiter, a restaurant manager and many others in my article “What are the salaries in Dubai? Review of salaries in the UAE.”

The employer turned out to be not conscientious enough and upon dismissal, Konstantin was not even paid his last salary. He stayed at this job for only 3 months and was fired because he did not want to follow the employer’s rules - starting the working day at 4 am.

Kostya found his next job (again as a waiter) on his own after completing training with Ivan “Work in Dubai in 60 days.” His every day began with him going to companies and handing out his resume. This is common practice in Dubai. This, of course, is not easy, but a dream is a dream! And this time he was pleased with the result: a job in a prestigious restaurant, a salary of $2,000 “net”, good living conditions, training sessions for company employees.

However, even here Konstantin was unable to stay for more than 3 months. He found her because of an unexpected dismissal. So to speak - I had to.

The main reason is that he had no particular desire to work in this area, because... Previously in Ukraine he worked in sales, and that’s what he liked. Kostya’s previous experience as a waiter served as an intermediate step in finding his dream job - sales manager.

He looked for this position for himself, again on his own, especially since after completing the paid course “Work in Dubai in 60 days” it is not so difficult to do. To test our training, you can study the free course “Working in Dubai”

. In 2 weeks, Kostya received 5 job offers and chose the most profitable one for himself. Now his salary as a bicycle sales manager in a store located almost in the center of Dubai will be more than $2,000.

These are the priorities that Kostya set for himself, first of all, when he decided to look for a job on his own during the “Work in Dubai in 60 days” training:

1. Konstantin never regretted that he decided to study in the “Work in Dubai in 60 days” training. Of course, you can storm the Internet in search of the necessary information, or you can simply take Ivan’s supervision and achieve your goal much faster than you think.

The information in the training is given in a clear sequence, and step by step you will learn all the nuances that are associated specifically with the employment process in Dubai. In addition, you can find a job remotely while still at home, thereby saving on your finances. With the help of the knowledge gained in the “Work in Dubai in 60 days” training, Konstantin was able to increase his salary by 4 times in 10 months.

2. The most important thing you need to pay attention to when applying for a job is a well-written resume (or CV). You can read more about how to write a resume in the book “Working in Dubai”

. In your resume, you must indicate your work experience, your achievements and skills in order to interest the employer, plus attach a presentable photo (for this case, you can take a special photo).

3. Ignorance of the English language did not become a reason for Kostya to give up his dream - to gain foreign work experience and live in a first world city. Everyone adequately perceives your accent, your mistakes, here everyone speaks their “own” English and everyone understands each other perfectly. When moving to Dubai, Konstantin spoke English at the level of the school curriculum, i.e. in fact, he didn’t speak it.

How did he pass interviews in English with potential employers? It’s simple, another life hack: Kostya simply learned the questions that employers usually ask and prepared his answers to them in English. All employers ask approximately the same questions. After 3 months of living in Dubai, he already spoke English quite fluently.

If you don't know English in the 21st century, then that's just your excuse for yourself. By the way, students of our training have the opportunity to train on these issues together, helping each other. In fact, when you have an interview with a potential employer, you are already so prepared that it will not be difficult for you to pass the interview in English even if you have no language practice.

4. When you go for an interview, you do not need to wear shorts and T-shirts, despite the fact that the climate of the UAE is conducive to this. Dress in a business casual manner, and then the employer will hear you and treat you as someone who has serious intentions about working for their company.

I hope you found this article helpful. Write in the comments what else you would like to know about living and working in Dubai. And perhaps in one of the next issues I will talk about this. In the meantime, so you don't miss anything, subscribe to my YouTube channel