DUBAI: Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the top cities to live and work in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to a new survey.
The ranking of this regional survey was based on several factors including economic, environmental, standard of living, socio-cultural and entrepreneurship, according to the joint study by Bayt.com and YouGov – global online market research company – titled Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa.
“How you start your career is an important determinant for future financial success. Where you start is also important – some cities make it easier to start a business or to launch a successful career,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com.
He added that as the MENA region’s economy grows and job numbers continue to be positive, it is evident that the current market is strong for job seekers.
“We have over 3,000 UAE-based jobs currently listed on Bayt.com. To complement that, Bayt.com Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa survey highlights the most desirable cities for people to live and work in. This provides great insights for up-and-coming professionals to find stellar growth,” added Masri.
Economic factors
Dubai and Abu Dhabi emerged as the top cities in terms of job availability. Abu Dhabi and Dubai are also the top cities in terms of benefits for working parents, according to the survey.
Abu Dhabi emerges as the best city in terms of health insurance and social security as well as wage protection systems. In terms of proactive policy-making, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were also rated highest.
Standard of living
Furthermore, residents of MENA cities highly value environmental factors relating to cleanliness. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are rated among the highest in terms of clean streets and roads with a vast majority stating so.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi take the top spot in terms of beauty of architecture and buildings with the vast majority rating it positively (90% and 89% respectively). Abu Dhabi is rated best for manageable traffic.
Abu Dhabi emerged as the top city for availability of parks/ community gardens with 85% rating it positively. When it comes to availability of healthcare facilities, both Abu Dhabi and Dubai are considered the best cities. Abu Dhabi is also at the top in terms of quality of health care facilities joined closely by Dubai and Sharjah.
In terms of water/ electricity/ sewage systems, two UAE cities are rated best – Dubai and Abu Dhabi (90% and 89% respectively).
Dubai takes the top spot for accessible public transportation as well as quality of accessible public transportation system. For availability of wide range of entertainment avenues, Dubai gets the top spot with an 89% positive rating.
In terms of availability of educational institutions, Dubai is the leading city (80%). When it comes to child friendliness, Abu Dhabi takes the top spot (77%).
Entrepreneurship
Meantime, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the top regional cities when it comes to lack of bureaucracy in procedures and paperwork.
Dubai is in the lead in terms of market willingness to accept new ideas. At the same time, Dubai is the top city in terms of ability to find local talent to employ. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are all rated highest on ability to find skilled and well-educated talent to employ.
Sports, arts & culture
When asked about sports, culture and recreation factors, respondents prefer cities with availability of family-friendly activities where Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah take the lead. In fact the survey said, Dubai also emerged as the top city in terms of availability of relaxation options (83%) and arts & culture offerings (79%)
In terms of availability of world heritage sites/preserved old towns, Abu Dhabi emerges best (76%). Abu Dhabi also emerges as the top city in availability of outdoor/sports activities with positive ratings of 73%. Abu Dhabi takes the top spots in availability of natural areas/natural landscape with 73% respectively giving it a positive rating in this aspect.
Kerry McLaren, Head of Omnibus MENA at YouGov said: “In conducting this survey, not only did we look at the physical infrastructure and economic variables of each city, but we also analyzed the social and cultural factors that play an important role in the quality of life they serve. Having access to this report could give job seekers and professionals a lot of information to help them plan their career.”
Data for the Bayt.com Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa survey 2018 was collected online from September 16 to October 28, 2018. Results are based on a sample of 1,731 respondents. Countries assessed include UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
