Happiness 2018: The Changing Face of Expats

First Published:

Tuesday 1 May, 2018

Something is changing to the nature of expats in the UAE, with declining number that have been in the country for 10 years or less compared to 2014, but an increasing number of survey respondents that have lived in the UAE for 10 years or more.

The numbers, as a percentage, have remained fairly static for those in the UAE for 1 to 2 years, but start to decline from this point onwards. The biggest declines come for expats who had been staying in the UAE for 5-7 years.

The reasons for this seem twofold. Those who were already in the UAE for five years or more, four years ago, are not leaving - hence a spike in residents in the UAE 9 plus years. However, those who arrived four years or less ago, are not staying. The UAE's most recent recruits are much less likely to put down roots for the long term.

We can see this in both how many years have you lived, and in the how many more years do you PLAN to live charts.

In the latter there is a much higher percentage of respondents saying they plan to stay only 1-3 years, and a lower percentage from 4 years to 10 years. There is however a big spike of those wanting to live in the UAE for "More than 20 years".

There is always a difference between what people say they will do, and what they end up doing however, and while it could be a difference in the type of residents coming into the UAE, or the differences that come between generations, it may also be the UAE itself clearing the decks, replacing mid-management with fresh young faces. That would certainly tie into the increased fiscal responsibility we see firms taking as we head towards 2020.