A recent survey shows that seven out of ten expatriates in
the UAE do not understand the country’s local customs and traditions. Only 60 %
of expats claim to know the basics of UAE culture while 72 % admit to knowing
very little about their host country, including whether or not they are
entitled to free healthcare
The UAE, like much of the region, heavily depends on foreign
workers to fill jobs at all levels of the economy. An incredible 83.5 % of the
UAE population is made up by expats, including 100,000 Britons.
The emirate has received high-profile coverage in the
British press in recent years, following a spate of arrests relating to crimes
such as culturally inappropriate behaviour. UK nationals are more likely to be
arrested in the UAE than anywhere else in the world.
The Gulf state has been ranked the least friendly country in
the world for expatriates by Forbes magazine based on data from HSBC’s Expat
Explorer Survey, which polled 3385 expats in 100 countries on factors such as
economy, raising children and overall experience.
Forbes, which stripped out data in four categories – ability
to befriend locals, success in learning the language, integration into the
community and ease of fitting into the local culture – to rank the world’s top
spots for migrant workers, said the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore did not fare
well in community integration and befriending locals but performed well in
those relating to career prospects and high income.
International health insurance news: 16 May 2012
