Beyond the economic reason: what attracts guest workers to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates?

Abdulla Alalili, Kansas State University

The main objective for this study is to sample guest workers in Dubai. United Arab Emirates (UAE). Even though the economic factor is a major motivator for guest workers to migrate to another country to work, I would like to determine what other factors that attract guest workers to the Dubai. Since surrounding cities are similar to Dubai on their demand for labor, it is of interest to explain why a guest worker chooses to move to Dubai and not to another city (such as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia or Doha, Qatar who have similar wages, environment, culture…etc). I will analyze the role of the following factors in the guest worker’s decision to move to the UAE: 1) Networking: knowing friends or relatives in Dubai. 2) Quality of life: here I mean anything related to the expatriates life from fairness for the lows to the amenities in Dubai. 3) Labor policies: only easiness of getting a visa to Dubai and the easiness of getting a job in Dubai will be discussed here. 4) Multiculturalism. 5) Tolerance of religious practices.