The top 15 companies to work for in the UAE, according to LinkedIn

Dubai-based luxury retailer Chalhoub Group is the best company to work for in the UAE this year, according to LinkedIn.

Abu Dhabi’s strategic investment arm Mubadala Investment Company, healthcare provider Mediclinic, Europe’s largest bank HSBC and hospitals operator Aster DM Healthcare complete the top five preferred employers, according to the 2022 LinkedIn Top Companies List.

Other sought-after employers in the UAE include national health insurer Daman, Al Tayer Group, cosmetics company L’Oreal, Dubai lender Mashreq Bank and life insurer MetLife, according to the professional network.

This list is meant to guide professionals at every stage – whether that means a career pivot, jumping back into the workforce after a hiatus or investing in new skills

Salma Altantawy,
Mena news editor at LinkedIn

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Gulf Marketing Group (parent of Sun & Sand Sports), business conglomerate and mall operator Majid Al Futtaim, e-commerce company Amazon and energy services company Schneider Electric round out the top 15 list.

“This list is meant to guide professionals at every stage — whether that means a career pivot, jumping back into the workforce after a hiatus or investing in new skills,” Lynn Chouman, senior news editor at LinkedIn, said on Wednesday.

"Seeing new rankers make up 80 per cent of the list for 2022 is an indication of how significant a single year can be in reinvigorating business cultures as the world of work continues to evolve."

The seven criteria LinkedIn used to identify the best companies in the UAE were the ability to advance, skills growth, company stability, external opportunity, company affinity, gender diversity and spread of educational backgrounds. The companies were analysed from January to December last year.

The UAE jobs market has recovered strongly from the pandemic-induced slowdown, helped by the government’s fiscal and monetary measures.

About 76 per cent of employers in the Arab world's second-largest economy plan to expand their workforce in 2022, a February survey by jobs portal Bayt.com and market research company YouGov found.

About two thirds of professionals in the UAE will actively look for new jobs in the first half of this year as business confidence and hiring activity return to pre-pandemic levels, recruitment company Robert Walters said.

To be eligible for the UAE Top Companies list, a company must have at least 500 employees as of December 31, 2021, and the attrition rate can be no higher than 10 per cent, according to LinkedIn.

The most sought-after skills at the UAE’s best employer Chalhoub Group are luxury goods, retail sales and visual merchandising, while the job roles in demand are those of sales executive, fashion consultant and make-up artist, LinkedIn said.

At Mubadala Investment Company, in-demand roles include investment specialists, senior legal counsel and investment associates, the list revealed.

At Mediclinic and Aster DM Healthcare, the most in-demand roles are registered nurses, pharmacists, hospital administrators and medical doctors.

The Covid-19 pandemic opened up a range of employment prospects for certain segments of the healthcare industry. Healthcare jobs now most sought after in the UAE include nurses, laboratory technicians and general practitioners, according to recruitment agency Hays.

The most sought-after roles at lenders HSBC and Mashreq Bank are those of premier client manger, service officer, relationship manager, compliance officer and personal banker, LinkedIn found.

Daman is prioritising jobs for customer service representatives, business development managers and financial officers, while insurance advisers, sales managers and financial advisers are sought after at MetLife, according to the LinkedIn list.

LinkedIn's list of the best 15 companies to work for in the UAE

Chalhoub Group
Mubadala Investment Company
Mediclinic
HSBC
Aster DM Healthcare
Daman
Al Tayer Group
L’Oreal
Mashreq Bank
MetLife
ADIB
GMG
Majid Al Futtaim
Amazon
Schneider Electric

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

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