Careers and Jobs in the Middle East (Saudi-Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar. etc.)

The economy of most of the Middle East countries is mainly based on oil, and due to rich oil reserves, some of the Middle Eastern countries (Saudi-Arabia, Kuwait, etc.) are one of the most prosperous countries of the world. Despite their local challenges, the economy of most Middle Eastern countries continues to be very strong and therefore attracts a large workforce from around the world. Jobs in the Middle East therefore are one of the hotly pursued jobs in the world. Jobs in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE are particularly in very high demand. This is one reason that millions of expatriate workers currently work in the Middle East. For example, according to many estimates about 50,000 US citizens and their families live and work in Saudi-Arabia. At least 3 times as many US citizens can be estimated to be working in other parts of the Middle East.

While benefits vary from country to country, general benefits may include the following –

• No taxes

• High salaries

• Fixed Paid Housing allowance (Some expatriate workers save money on housing as they manage to find inexpensive housing on their own)

• Some companies offer free housing instead of paying a housing allowance

• Low cost of living 

• Proximity to the holy sites of Makkah and Madinah (Great benefit for Muslims) 

• People manage to easily find their cultural communities. This includes Americans, Pakistanis, Indians, and others.

• Multiple year contracts – Most expatriates prefer a minimum of 2 year contract to ensure they get some benefit before temporarily relocating.

• Paid travel for all family members to their home country once a year.

Things that you should know if you are considering to work in the Middle East:

• Attaining citizenship of those countries is almost impossible. 

• You should be aware of the religious customs in those countries. For example, some Islamic countries require that women cover themselves in the traditional garment of Hijab, Abaya and / or Jilbab when roaming outside. 

• Before accepting a job in any of the Middle Eastern countries, you must inquire about your children’s education. Public education, for example is not an option for expatriate workers in all countries.

In the prosperous Middle East, you can find a myriad of job opportunities in various fields including Finance, Accounting, Audit, Strategy, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Procurement, Customer Service, etc. You can also find one of the highly lucrative jobs in the sectors such as banking, finance, accounting, insurance, legal, sales, marketing, IT, manufacturing, management consulting etc. The medical profession too attracts a very high percentage of physicians, surgeons, and nurses.

The past few years has seen a huge influx of foreign workers, especially those working in the area of Information Technology (IT).