Investing in the next generation

I have been living in Dubai for nearly 3 years now, and I have to admit, it is a city where you could live a very comfortable life. It is estimated that out of almost 3 millions habitants in Dubai, only 15 percent of them are Emiratis, while the other 85 percent are expatriates, coming mostly from Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). However, the European migration has grown relatively over time. The UAE, in recent years has attained the status of a favorite destination for Italian immigrants. With a little over 10,000 Italians in the country, UAE has the largest Italian community in the MENA region. Foreigners usually work in the private sector while locals are employed in the public sector, from this the huge duality between private and public labour market. Only 1% of the private sector workforce is made up of nationals. A part from workers and families, the UAE also attracts growing numbers of foreign university students. This is the reason why human resources and education are now a days the center of the economy. GCC governments are investing heavily in the education sector, especially Saudi Arabia’s which invest around a quarter of total government spending.