Due to its high ratings for safety and security and its active remote working community, Dubai has become one of the greatest places in the world for “workcations.”
Dubai came in second place, after Barcelona, with an overall score of 99.9, falling just 0.1 short of the top spot, according to findings by WorkMotion, an HR platform with its headquarters in Berlin and a focus on remote working. Dubai received great marks for supporting digital nomads, receiving 87.8 for tourist experience and 90.7 for remote work infrastructure.
Dubai once again performed exceptionally well on the liveability measure, which assessed cities according to safety and security (97.6), mobility (95.2), and happiness (88.5).
The city’s access to housing score dropped to 65.6 due to skyrocketing rents in Dubai, while its access to healthcare, which scored 76.5, was also compromised.
In the survey, taxes and living expenses were considered benchmarks. Dubai scored 84.7 for housing affordability, 77.7 for the food basket, and 100 for the tax-free income structure, which is unique to the city.
The majority of those utilising remote work are single millennials and Gen-Zers who work for an average of six months in their host locations, according to WorkMotion data. Additionally, data showed that a large number of international employees are now choosing to return home and work remotely.
After the COVID-19 outbreak, Dubai has become more and more popular among corporate employees who have adopted a more mixed work style.
The emirate introduced its digital nomad visa programme in March 2021, making it one of the first cities in the Gulf to take advantage of the growing demand for a hybrid setup.
Prague scored 99.8, third overall out of 85 global cities recognised as workcation hubs, ahead of Madrid (99.3) and Melbourne (98).
Lisbon, a popular location for digital nomads for a long time, came in seventh place with a score of 94.3, but lost points for its tax laws, which received a score of 54.1. With a score of 70.9, Marrakech was the only other city from the Middle East and North Africa to be included on the list.
According to projections made by American technology research and consulting firm Gartner, 39% of knowledge workers globally would work in hybrid modes by the end of 2023, with remote workers accounting for 9% of all employees globally.