What you will do if you lose your job?

Redundancy is one of the life’s most stressful experiences and as the number of Dubai’s jobless continues to rise more and more people across the emirate are being left feeling despondent. But if the worst does happen, where can you turn?

A recent survey revealed 54 per cent of expats are worried about keeping their jobs and 46% per cent are considering fleeing the UAE to escape redundancy.

Redundancy is very alarming. Most expatriates say that as soon as the school year ends in June, they will be leaving the country. What does the future holds for them? Nobody knows. Whether they will try to find relevant position in their home country or in London or Paris or Manchester it is not certain they can find.

The number of people losing their jobs and leaving the country means that Dubai’s consumer class is shrinking which will also have a very serious effect on the city. For those who find themselves in similar position to that of a project manager, architect and engineer it is important to find out what your options are.

I am not an expert of the UAE law but as an accountant I know few things about the labor law. I advise the workers (those who are losing their jobs) to please check their contracts carefully to find out where they stand in terms of repatriation and end-of-year service packages because repatriation schemes can differ greatly, especially in terms of details like covering the cost of sending possessions back home.

Many expats are under the impression employers have to pay for their flight home. But the labor law states that companies only have to pay for flight back to the country where the job offer was made. So for Dubai workers on their second job in Dubai, they could find an airfare home is not part of the deal. But it comes down to the discretion of the employer you are always entitled to ask. Once the contract has been terminated, expats can stay in the country for a maximum of 30 days only.

So for you guys out there, you need to calm down. Many workers are bringing the matter to the Ministry of Labor filing a case against their previous employers claiming for the repatriation expenses. The Ministry of Labor has the laws and it is fair.