The Middle East is an area that’s burgeoning in many ways—politically, economically, and demographically. Bordered by Asia, Africa, and Europe, the region is an assortment of cultures and religions. Ethnic groups that live in the U.A.E. include Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, European, African, and Emirati. Although the region itself is ancient, dating back 3,500 years, the demographics of its people currently skew young. Sixty-five percent of the population in the Middle East is under the age of 25,1 and creating jobs for this generation of young people is an overriding concern in these countries. Much of the region’s wealth is attributable to having the world’s largest deposits of easily extractable oil, but the petrochemicals, aluminum, banking, and tourism sectors have also been important to the economic health of the region. Countries in the Middle East are expected to see a three to five percent increase in GDP.2
The Middle East is often perceived by Westerners to be synonymous with conflict, but there are many areas in the Middle East where people of many different nationalities meet, live, and work side by side. The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is one of those areas, and the largest emirate, Dubai, with its high influx of international workers (expatriates make up 80 percent of the workforce there3), is an excellent example. As a microcosm of the region and as the most desirable location in the Middle East for a head office, according to one study,4 it’s a good example of the issues that can come up when East meets West in the workplace. Politically stable, Dubai has developed a reputation for being a safe place for people of all nationalities to work and for companies from all over the world to do business. It is a constitutional monarchy that’s been ruled since 1995 by Sheikh Mohammed, who had a vision of Dubai as an international hub for business and leisure. His vision was quickly realized. In 1990, the number of tall buildings in Dubai could be counted on one hand. Just 20 years later, the skyline is crowded with skyscrapers, including the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Dubai is small (about twice the size of Rhode Island) but has more cultural diversity per square foot than perhaps anyplace in the world. Of its two million inhabitants, only 100,000 are citizens.5 The rest are there on work visas. Women make up 14 percent of the workforce.6 Arabic is the official language of Dubai, but most people use English to conduct business.
