Minister reveals vision to attract global talent to ‘live, work and retire’ in the UAE

The UAE is developing a longterm vision to attract global talent to live, work and retire in the country, said Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade.

He said recruiting skilled overseas workers remained crucial to accelerating economic growth and an “ecosystem” was being put in place to bolster the UAE’s position as a prime destination for talent.

“Skilled human capital lies at the heart of economic growth and competitiveness, and this is especially true in the era of the knowledge economy,” Dr Al Zeyoudi told The National.

“It is therefore of vital importance to attract foreign talents to complement our national home-grown talents and drive our knowledge economy.

“We aim to increase the share of knowledge workers and skilled human capital of our overall population and workforce, in order to satisfy the current and future demand of the UAE jobs sector.”

The UAE announced several measures in recent months to attract more professionals.

In January, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, set out plans to allow nonEmiratis to obtain UAE citizenship. Skilled professionals can be nominated by government or royal court officials.

In March, the country introduced a residency visa for remote workers.

Those followed the launch of a 10-year golden visa initiative in May 2019, which allows exceptional workers and foreign investors to remain long-term.

“Facilitated immigration pathways, enhanced social insurance features and increased workforce flexibility and mobility are some of the critical elements of this ecosystem,” Dr Al Zeyoudi said.

“We will also work with our partners to enhance other important elements such as social cohesion and integration, education affordability, healthcare accessibility, as well as factors that relate to the regulatory, business and market environment.”

He said the UAE also wanted to ensure it retained talent.

“We aim to build an ecosystem where foreign talents are incentivised to stay for longterm durations, partake in the social fabric, contribute to the economy, retire in the country and build roots for their children here,” he said.

“Talent comes in many forms, and we welcome talented individuals from all backgrounds and nationalities.”