UAE Minister Reiterates Vision to Attract and Retain Global Talent, Stresses Overseas Workers' Contribution

UAE is making it easier than ever for international visitors to enter, while the global hub for business travel remains largely closed to the masses. This comes as good news for aspirants across the globe to contribute and compete with their skills in the UAE and helps in boosting the economy while making progress on a personal level as well. However, retention of talent has remained a major bottleneck for the UAE and the nation has been making efforts towards the same. For instance, this year started with key changes to the Citizenship Law, allowing select expats to secure UAE Citizenships.

Minister Talks About the Vision

His Excellency Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, spoke to the media about the UAE's vision to attract global talent to 'live, work and retire' in UAE. The Minister emphasized the role of global talent in assisting UAE to develop socio-economically, while being able to transform the national goals and dreams into reality. The country has been facilitating the recruitment of skilled overseas talent, via recent policies such as the Citizenship Law amendments allowing select expats to secure citizenship and remote work visas.  The Minister shared views on enhancing remote working opportunities and elucidated on the importance of skilled human capital in bolstering economic progress.

UAE is seeking to establish an ecosystem that facilitates talent retention for talents across human endeavours such as entrepreneurship, art, research, innovation and so on. Skilled human capital lies at the heart of economic growth and competitiveness, and hence it is imperative to complement the local talent with the procurement of global talent as well, the Minister opined.

UAE: Turning Into A Global Talent and Business Hub

This year, changes have accelerated in the face of a coronavirus pandemic, and the country has announced a series of new remote working visas to attract a growing global pool of digital nomads. The visas are marketed to remote workers who take advantage of the fact that the UAE does not impose income tax on its residents. The first changes are only just beginning to take effect and could permanently shape this area of a unique economy. This could be an increasingly attractive investment for global investors. The country attracts a diversified economy, a growing economic hub and a number of high-tech companies and start-ups. The UAE is well on its way to becoming one of the world's leading start-up hotspots, offering exciting opportunities to entrepreneurs of all ages, genders and backgrounds.

The Government has taken a proactive approach to overcome the crisis, announcing the U.A.E Vision 2021 back in the year 2010, which was to make transformative changes in the UAE on the 50th anniversary of its founding. The UAE government has played a significant role in positioning the country and the region as a top destination for business and investment, and this is well reflected in the growing interest of global players to enter and strengthen their presence in this market. The UAE's openness to global companies, whether in terms of access to capital, the business environment or corporate culture, makes it the best place to start and grow a business.

The infrastructure of the UAE and Dubai in particular, is among the best in the world, and the multicultural environment and social security it offers give it a distinct advantage. Furthermore, the UAE is the only country in the world to have celebrated a Year of Tolerance and to send a strong message to the rest of the world about the importance of tolerance and respect for all cultures and religions.