After Covid-19, the dynamics of the world have evolved, and how could the UAE lack behind?
Professionals from all over the world are pouring in the country as UAE government continuously announcing the policies that are flexible and promote inclusivity. One of the policies of UAE government is the promotion of freelancing in UAE.
However, the scope of traditional office based jobs is also high in the UAE because businesses and startups need the professionals with skills and qualification to serve them.
But on the other hand, the changing market demands companies to seek freelancers as there is an increase in project-based job roles. It has become a long debate to discuss the freelancing vs. traditional job in the UAE and we are outlining all that in this article.
Learn the benefits and drawbacks for both of these employment approaches and choose the most suitable for you. So without making you wait further, let’s help you with understanding traditional jobs vs freelancing jobs.
An Overview Of Freelancing in the UAE:
Freelancing in UAE is a popular form of work in the region. Furthermore, UAE has a prosperous and diverse economy and offers numerous opportunities for independent professionals in various sectors. Below we will present an overview of the key aspects of freelancing in this country:
If a foreigner wants to work as a freelancer in the UAE, they will need to obtain an appropriate visa. In this sense, there are for example several Dubai freelancer residency options or residence visa for investors. Therefore, it is important to investigate and comply with the corresponding legal and immigration requirements like freelance visa requirements in Dubai.
- Popular sectors:
The UAE has become a freelancer’s hub as it offers them a wide range of industries to find work. From IT services to multimedia and graphic design, and from digital and online marketing, to business consultancy, the freelancers are welcomed in the UAE with a lot of new fields.
- Special economic zones:
Likewise, freelancers enjoy a suitable working environment provided by the UAE government and they are call “special economic zones”. These are as following.
- Dubai Design District
- Dubai Knowledge Park
- Dubai Production City
- Dubai Studio City
- Dubai Internet City
- International Free Zone Authority(IFZA)
- Ajman Free Zone
- Fujairah Creative City
- Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone
- twofour54 Abu Dhabi
With quality infrastructure, various types of support services, and exemptions from the taxes make these zones really attractive for all the freelancers.
- Contracts and payments:
When a foreigner enters in freelancing in UAE, it is important that he or she establish clear contracts with clients. Therefore, he or she should makes sure to clearly define responsibilities, deadlines, fees, and any other relevant details. For its part, regarding payments, it is common to use electronic freelance platforms in UAE to receive payments from clients.
Freelance Jobs in UAE: An Overview
There is a wide range of common jobs in the field of freelancing in UAE. Some of the most popular areas include:
- Information Technology (IT):
The IT sector in the UAE has a plethora of opportunities for freelancers. Freelancers can try their luck in the fields of:
- Software development
- Web design and development
- Mobile application development
- Database administration
- Information Technology Support
- Software Quality Assurance
- Graphic and multimedia design:
The creativity and innovation in the media industry has leads to the high demand for graphic designers and multimedia artists in the UAE. Freelancers can try their luck in the UAE in the following fields to serve as:
- Logo designers and animators
- Web UI/UX designers
- 2D and 3D animators
- Video editors
- Social media content creators
- Digital marketing:
Every business now want to opt for digital marketing services to maintain their online visibility. That is why freelancers working in this domain are high in demand in the UAE. The work related to digital marketing includes:
- Social media marketing
- Social media management
- Search Engine Optimization
- Google Ads
- Digital Content creation
- Content marketing
- Data analysis
- Writing and translation:
As UAE has the people from all around the world for their professional growth, the writing and translation job demand is immensely high in the region. Freelancers can become English to Arabic or Arabic to English translators to earn a good amount there.
- Professional consulting:
The consultancy opportunities are also immense for freelancers in the UAE including:
- Professional business consultancy
- Business management consultancy
- Financial and fiscal consultancy
- Human Resources Management consultancy
- Online and traditional marketing consultancy
- Online teaching:
UAE government envisions to accelerate their literacy rate and that is why they promote the prolicies related to education. That is why, the demand for teachers is immensely increasing which is the golden chance for all the freelancers to provide online education to people in the UAE. The teaching jobs can be:
- Online teaching for mathematics, & science
- Tutoring services in a variety of disciplines
- Languages teaching
- Education for business skills
- Education counseling
- Career counseling
These are just a few examples of the most common freelancing jobs in the UAE. It is important to keep in mind that the demand for skills can vary and evolve over time. Therefore, it is extremely important to be aware of the trends and needs of the labor market in the country.
Benefits of Freelancing in UAE
Freelancing in UAE offers several benefits for independent professionals. These are some of the freelancing advantages in UAE:
- Job opportunities:
The UAE’s economy is growing rapidly which means the employment opportunities for freelancers are emerging now and then. These job opportunities may include:
- Information technology gigs
- Graphic designing jobs
- Consulting services
- Teaching
- Digital marketing
- Copy writing
- Human Resource Management
The high income is really lucrative for all the freelancers in the UAE. Freelancers have an option to negotiate about their service charges and can ask clients to create contracts that favor them in a beneficial way.
- Flexibility and autonomy:
Freelancing is a lot flexible and provides the autonomy to individuals. On the other hand, this opportunity is not for traditional jobs doers. How freelancing is flexible, lets’ see:
Freelancers set their own schedule for working
They can choose type of project they want to work on.
Freelancers have an immense control over their professional careers.
- Skill development:
Freelancers enjoy variety of projects and with time they learn and develop diverse skillset so both are equally rewarding. Therefore, each project can be a new challenge for freelancers in the UAE that allows them to gain experience in different areas and expand their skill set.
- Network of professional contacts:
One can establish a network full of professionals through freelancing in the UAE. Freelancers have a great chance to connect with all the industry professionals, their colleagues, and clients as well for future work opportunities by using referrals.
Drawbacks of Freelancing in UAE
While freelancing in the UAE has several advantages, there are also some disadvantages that freelancers should keep in mind:
- Rivalry:
The UAE is an attractive destination for freelancers, which means that competition in the job market can be very high. Therefore, the freelancer must stand out among other freelancers and demonstrate his experience and skills to secure work on interesting projects.
- Financial instability:
Freelancing’s drawback of financial instability is really frustrating for the individual. On one hand, the traditional job comes with the fixed monthly income; freelancers unfortunately can’t enjoy that stability.
- Responsibility and self-management:
Every freelancer is responsible for managing aspects of their business which includes finding clients, project management, invoicing, and meeting deadlines. This requires good self-management and business skills, as well as the ability to deal with the workload.
- Benefits and social security:
Unlike traditional employees, freelancers in the UAE do not typically have access to benefits and social security provided by employers, such as health insurance, paid vacations, or retirement plans. Therefore, it is important for freelancers in the UAE to take these aspects into account and consider the need to obtain private health insurance coverage and generate a retirement savings plan.
- Administrative burden:
Likewise, freelancers must also take care of administrative tasks, such as invoicing, payment tracking, and filing taxes. Therefore, this comes with an additional workload and responsibility that you need to take into account when planning your time and resources.
Factors to Consider When Deciding Between Freelancing in UAE and Traditional Jobs
When deciding between a job as a freelancer and a traditional job in the UAE, there are several important factors to consider:
- Financial stability:
Traditional jobs in the UAE generally offer greater financial stability compared to freelancing. In this sense, employees usually receive a fixed salary and additional benefits, such as health insurance, paid vacations, and retirement plans. Therefore, if a foreigner values financial security and the stability of regular income, a traditional job may be more suitable for him or her.
- Independence and flexibility:
Freelancing offers greater independence and flexibility in terms of schedules and control over one’s professional career. That is, the freelancer has the freedom to choose the projects that he or she will work on; he or she can set their rates, and work at the hours he or she decides. Consequently, if the foreigner values more the freedom to make decisions and have greater control over their work, freelancing may be a more attractive option.
- Professional development:
Both traditional jobs and freelancing can provide professional development opportunities but in different ways. Through traditional jobs, individual often enjoy the professional training courses, opportunities of advancement, and the get specialization in specific fields provided by the organization. On the other hand, freelancers enjoy variety of projects and with time they learn and develop diverse skillset so both are equally rewarding.
Conclusion
UAE is supporting freelancers through multiple visa openings and the trend for freelance career is immensely growing in the country. That is why freelancers should keep in mind the following things:
- Specified criteria for freelance visa
- Popular freelancing zones in the UAE
- Sectors for freelance jobs in the UAE
- Laws of UAE regarding freelance work in the country
Also, the UAE freelancing game is strong with jobs in computer science industry, graphic designing and multimedia arts, online and digital marketing, script and copy writing, translation, and professional business consultancy.
Freelance or traditional work? At Connect Freelance we help you make the best decision
As the years go by, freelancing is growing more and more not only in the UAE but throughout the world. However, freelancing is not a type of job for everyone. Those who prefer to have more freedom to decide about their work will prefer to be a freelancer, but those who want to have greater economic stability will prefer to work for a third-party company.
Now, if you are one of those who like to work freely and want to live in a prosperous and first-world country like the United Arab Emirates, you have the services of Connect Freelance. At Connect Freelance we will take care of all the aspects so that you can work legally as a freelancer in the UAE.
We have many years of experience helping many freelancers fulfill their dream of working legally and living in the UAE. Therefore, if you want more information about us, you can get in touch with us!