The UAE is the top emerging-market destination for young professionals looking for career advancement, a survey by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has found.
The country was ranked ahead of countries with large economies such as China, India, Brazil and South Africa.
The result of a survey of 1,000 people worldwide aged between 20 and 30 – what the WEF calls the “millennial generation” and members of its global shapers community – comes as the WEF opens its Summit on the Global Agenda 2015 in Abu Dhabi, billed as “the world’s biggest brainstorm meeting”.
The WEF said: “With responses from 125 countries worldwide and 285 cities, the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 is one of the most geographically diverse surveys of millennials. The global shapers’ community is a network of over 450 city-based hubs of young, civically engaged leaders aged between 20 and 30.
“The survey provides insights into how millennials see the world. In addition to the diversity that we observe, the survey also reminds us of those things that millennials value everywhere, such as social and economic equality. By choosing the United Arab Emirates as the top emerging-markets destination, millennials are selecting a country that is very serious about professional advancement,” said Yemi Babington-Ashaye, the head of the Global Shapers Community.
Saurabh Pacheriwala, a shaper from India, said: “The UAE boasts a stable economy and offers many opportunities with its business-friendly practices.”
The survey also shone a light on the issues and challenges that resonate most among millennials across every region, as well as those factors held to be most important to them regarding career development.
At both the city and the global level, shapers identified income inequality as the most important issue facing the world. However, while shapers found youth unemployment and effective government as the second- and third most-important issues that needed to be addressed in their cities, at the global level, climate change and education were the priorities, the WEF said.
The GAC summit, staged in the UAE, helps to prepare the agenda for the WEF’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland in January, generally regarded as the most influential gathering of world leaders in policy-making, economics and business.
More than 900 participants will hear opening addresses from Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and Ali Al Mansoori, chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.
The summit will discuss nine global challenges identified by the WEF that require public-private cooperation across different industries and regions, including issues concerning the economy, environment, food security, financial system, internet security, gender parity, trade and infrastructure development.
Majid Jafar, the chief executive of Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum and a trustee of the global challenge on long-term investing, infrastructure and development said: “Tackling the world’s challenges today requires the active engagement of all stakeholders. Serving as a trustee gives the opportunity to share our real world experience on this critical issue, which is now recognised as vital for short-term economic stability and long-term competitiveness worldwide.”
