Study highlights Filipino community's contributions in UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a "highly attractive destination for professional Filipinos due to the economic opportunities and tolerant open society," recent study on the Filipino community in the Arab state showed. 

Communications consultancy firm EON Group study released on Tuesday the results of a survey entitled "Focus on the Filipino in the UAE," which seeks to further understand the size, scale and contribution of the UAE’s third largest expatriate demographic.

It was said to be the "first-ever" study into the contribution of the Pinoy community in the UAE.

The study found that over 750,000 Filipinos "see the UAE as a tolerant place where they can worship, work and contribute in a multitude of ways," EON reported.

EON also noted that the Filipino community is an "ever-increasing contributor to the economic  diversification and growth of the UAE economy."

The survey found that highly-skilled Filipinos are now represented across all industries contributing to the country’s economy and that 64% of Filipino respondents are college graduates while 6.7% hold post graduate degrees.

Another key finding was that 62% of the Filpinos surveyed can be found in sectors that are "seen to contribute to the UAE’s economic diversification and expansion."

The top five sectors were identified as the following:

• architecture, engineering, and construction (17%)
• tourism and hospitality (16%)
• customer service (13%)
• health and medical fields (10%)
• marketing and advertising (8%)

Moreover, the survey showed that Filipinos were "big spenders,"  with 48% going to the mall at least once or twice a month, with 45% willing to spend up to AED 50 for one meal and 16% willing to spend more than AED 80.

More importantly, the survey showed that community has a "long-term commitment" to the UAE, as Filipinos "increasingly look to invest and build deeper interlinked roots into the UAE."

Results revealed that 41.3% of Filipinos surveyed have been living in the UAE for 2 to 5 years, while 37% have been living in the UAE for more than 6 years.

Results of the survey were welcomed by Paul Raymund Cortes, Philippine Consul General in Dubai and Northern Emirates, EON said.

“We are very proud of our relationship with the UAE thus far and we continue to be optimistic that our people to people exchanges and our economic ties will even deepen as the years go on," Cortes was quoted as saying.

He added: "Our ties with the UAE are one of our most strategic relationships, be it trade, cultural, and human relationships."

For the quantitative aspect of survey, EON collected 200 responses using an online survey and another 400 responses from face-to-face surveys conducted by a team of researchers sent to the UAE.

Researchers acquired the qualitative data by undertaking a combination of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with 100 individuals from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. —LDF, GMA News