Can You Easily Get a Job in Dubai? Here’s What You NEED to Know

You came to Dubai with a dream to work at one of its most prestigious companies. After all, the city has been touted as one of the best cities to build a career.

But now that you’re here, you’re starting to think if you can easily land a job in a city that’s filled with opportunities but also a lot of competition.

Let’s look at these factors and learn some tips on how you can easily land a job in Dubai.

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Is It Easy to Get a Job in Dubai?

Your chances of landing a job in Dubai depends on factors like your skill level, experience, the industry that you’re in and how you present yourself to potential employers.

Dubai has a very lucrative job market where you can find everything from common jobs to more specialized ones.

Of course, your qualification to work in Dubai is also a huge factor since you can’t get employment without a residence or work visa.

It’s easy if you have the skill and experience.

This year, Dubai ranked second in the world’s most competitive job markets with an average of 282.9 weekly applicants for job postings, according to LinkedIn.

With most companies offering competitive salary packages, excellent employee benefits and of course, zero income tax, Dubai sees a lot of foreigners moving to work in the city.

But with such a high applicant percentage also means that the competition is tougher as compared to other major cities in the world.

The Dubai job market is also targeted towards specific skills and experiences, so having these will definitely give you an advantage over other applicants.

Finance management
Risk management and cybersecurity
Marketing
Language
Personnel management
Coding and web development
Administrative
Social media marketing
Teaching
Patient care

If your skills fall into one of these categories, you can expect to see more openings in Dubai’s job market, which also increases your odds of finding the right job.

But having the right skill set isn’t enough. A lot of employers also look for potential candidates with adequate experience to handle the job with minimal training and less supervision.

It’s easy to get a job if you belong to certain industries.

Landing a job will also depend on the industry that you’re in.

Generally, Dubai has a diverse economy, which means that you can find companies under different industries in the city.

But according to statistics, these are the top industries in Dubai for job seekers:

Finance. Every company needs a strong finance team, which means that Dubai has a steady demand for finance-related jobs like accountants, bookkeepers and financial advisors.

Marketing. There’s an increased demand for marketing-related jobs like digital marketing specialists, social media managers, web developers and graphic designers in Dubai.

Human Resource. With a growing number of startups in the city, there’s also a demand for more human resource employees including human resource managers, administrative assistants and recruitment specialists.

Healthcare. The healthcare sector in Dubai has always had a steady stream of job opportunities for nurses, physicians and other related professions.

While you can still find jobs in other sectors, these industries offer the best pay and benefits to employees.

It’s easy to get a job if you have the right qualifications.

Most companies in Dubai use recruiters to hire the people they need for their organization. Recruiters usually look for specific qualifications when it comes to their job postings.

These qualifications could include:

Educational background
Training
Previous job experiences
Skills
Eligibility for a visa

Keep in mind that you shouldn’t apply for a job in the city if you’re not qualified for a resident visa.

If you do get hired, your employer will help you secure a resident visa, so that you can stay in Dubai legally.

How to Qualify for a Visa in Dubai

Dubai offers different types of visas for foreigners who want to work and live in the city.

Type of Visa	Duration	Qualifications
Standard Work Visa	2-3 years	Employment contract Approval from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization Entry permit Employer sponsorship
Green Visa	5 years	Employment contract or self employment permit from the Ministor of Human Resources and Emiratization Proof of education Proof of sufficient income during stay in Dubai
Golden Visa	10 years	For professionals with exceptional qualifications such as scientists, doctors, athletes and inventors Eligibility quiz Valid operating license At least a high school diploma

Aside from qualifying for these types of visas, you also need to comply with these requirements:

Original and copy of updated passport
Emirates ID card
Passport-sized photos
Entry permit from the Ministry of Labor
COpes of the employee’s academic qualifications
Medical certificate issued by a government-approved health center in Dubai
Authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE embassy from the applicant’s home country
Documents from the employer

How Can You Land a Job in Dubai?

Your success in getting a job in Dubai will depend on how you prepare yourself for the job hunting process.

Here are some very important tips to help you get started:

Be specific about the role that you want.

You can’t just go out there and apply for every single job posting that you see. Applying for too many roles will not only overwhelm you, but it will also reduce your chances of actually landing a job that suits you.

So before you start job hunting, make sure that you know the exact role that you want to apply for.

This will not only give you a better direction for your application, but it will also help you prepare yourself for the recruitment process, so you can increase your chances of getting hired.

Understand your job market.

Whether you’re in tech or healthcare, it’s very important to understand your job market if you want to land a job easily while you’re in Dubai.

For instance, if you’re in an industry that’s not performing well or hiring a lot, you can explore related industries or more specific sub-industries where your skills fit.

By knowing what’s out there, it would be easier for you to tailor yourself to fit what those potential employers are looking for.

It also gives you the opportunity to gauge your competition and find ways to give yourself an advantage over them.

Don’t be afraid to go big.

A lot of job seekers make the mistake of skipping the bigger companies thinking that they don’t have a chance of getting hired there.

But the truth is, a lot of big companies in Dubai welcome foreigners into their organization, especially those with the skill set they need for the job.

So, don’t limit yourself to the regular companies. It would also be beneficial to take the big leap and see what job openings bigger businesses have.

Invest in a good CV.

Think about this: your CV is your most important tool for landing a job in Dubai. With hundreds of applicants vying for the same position, it’s very important to find ways to stand out from the pack, and you can do that with a good CV.

Creating an impressive CV means including only the things that employers are interested about, spending time in choosing the right layout and keeping things simple and short.

You also need to update your CV regularly and make sure that there are no mistakes before you send it out to potential employers.

Some research also suggest that including a cover letter would give you a better chance of getting hired.

Choose the right time to apply for a job.

According to recruitment experts, January and February are the best months to apply for a job in Dubai. This is because a lot of companies look to fill vacant positions or create new ones at the start of the year.

March, April and May also have high recruitment activity in Dubai. On the other hand, June, July and August are considered the worst months to apply for a job in Dubai.

You also need to be mindful of the different events and holidays in Dubai by looking at the Dubai Calendar since these occasions may affect the job market.

Work with a recruiter.

You might want to go on a job hunt alone and that’s okay. But if you want to get hired fast in Dubai, experts suggest that you should work with at least two recruiters.

Keep in mind that the job market in Dubai is very competitive. Recruiters also know their way around Dubai’s job pool, so they can easily look for jobs that would suit your skills, experience and needs.

A good recruiter should have an extensive network and they should be established in the market.