Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the two main partners within the UAE and subsidise the other emirates. There is a vast array of hydrocarbon processing jobs in the Middle East, including subsea, refinery and drilling professions. Throughout this region, there have been attempts at economic diversification so non-oil business now accounts for more than half of the total GDP; however the oil and gas industry remains the very bedrock of the UAE’s economy, as it is for all the Gulf States. UAE oil jobs are widely advertised and the region has traditionally been a popular destination for petrochemical engineers and other professionals in this field.
The UAE is one of the most developed economies in the Middle East and continues to go from strength to strength, and is renowned for its oil and gas reserves (it has the seventh largest oil reserves in the world and the UAE is the third-largest oil producer in the Middle East – daily output is in the region of 2.5 million barrels). Professions in the oil and gas industry are particularly abundant in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. Qatar has the world’s third-largest gas reserves and is now a powerful independent state with one of the highest GDP per capita in the world. Saudi’s oil accounts for more than 90 per cent of exports and comprises three quarters of total government revenues.
If you are a professional in the oil and gas industry with a strong CV and a desire to move to this exciting and progressive part of the world, you are in a good position to secure a well-paid job with good prospects.