Now that Dubai has been awarded the coveted prize of hosting the World Expo in 2020, the Emirate is gearing up for a construction boom. Third in stature and size after the Olympics and World Cup, the World Expo should do much to increase Dubai’s status as a world destination.
The Expo is expected to create in the vicinity of 220,000 jobs, but the fear is more people than jobs will flock to Dubai in search of work, creating competition for the desired employment. Last year the population of Dubai was 9.2 million, but the prediction is that the numbers will increase to 12.2 million by 2018.
Research analyst Fatima Sherif of Euromonitor International said the coming Expo could cause a huge pouring in of hopeful job-seekers. However only those with the correct and required work visa can stay in the country on a permanent basis. She believes that any increase in job demand will be met with job opportunities in other sectors.
“Despite this, the job market is expected to become more competitive in the UAE as more expatriates seek job opportunities in this part of the world,” Sherif said.