Highly-skilled Filipinos found in top 5 sectors of UAE economy — study
MANILA, Philippines — Highly-skilled Filipinos are represented across the top five sectors that contribute to the economy of the United Arab Emirates, according to a study from communications agency Eon Group.
The study released Tuesday showed that 62% of Filipinos surveyed in the UAE are working in sectors seen to contribute in the Gulf state's economic diversification and expansion.
The top five sectors in the UAE where Filipinos work are architecture, engineering and construction (17%), tourism and hospitality (16%), customer service (13%), health and medical field (10%) and marketing and advertising (8%).
Of the highly-skilled Filipinos working in these industries, 64% are college graduates while 6.7% hold post-graduate degrees.
About 37% of these Filipino workers in the UAE earn 8,000 dirhams a month and 20% earn 13,000 dirhams monthly.
The study also found that Filipinos are big spenders with 48% going to the mall at least once a month and 45% willing to spend at least 50 dirhams for a meal.
Eon founder and CEO Junie del Mundo said the latest study, the first on the contribution of the Filipino community in the UAE, shows the impact of and contribution of the Filipinos to the Gulf state.
"The community is very engaged, increasingly wealthy, proud of their new home and looking for ways they can help support the diverse, tolerant and multicultural country that is the UAE," Del Mundo said in a statement.
Philippine Consul General in Dubai and Northern Emirates Paul Raymond Cortes said the Philippine government remains optimistic that people exchanges and economic ties with UAE will continue to deepen.
"Our ties with the UAE are one of our most strategic relationships, be it trade, cultural and human relationships," Cortes said.
DFA data as of December 2017 showed that there are 618,726 Filipinos are based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
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