Dubai is second most popular global city for ‘digital nomads’

Dubai is the second most popular destination in the world for “digital nomads” who prefer to live and work remotely from home, according to a work-from-anywhere index released on Thursday.

While Melbourne topped the list of 75 global cities, Dubai scored impressively due to its game-changing one-year residency permit for remote workers, according to the Work-from-Anywhere Index report from Nestpick.

Other global cities among the top ten most sought-after destinations for work-from-anywhere include Sydney, Tallinn (Eston), London, Tokyo, Singapore; Glasgow, Montreal and Berlin.

The cities have been assessed based on a variety of factors related to working from home, including costs and infrastructure, taxes, freedoms, safety and livability.

“As remote work becomes the new normal for millions of people worldwide, some countries are creating 'work-from-anywhere' legislation, opening up the possibility for workers to relocate to cities which appeal best to their lifestyles”, Nestpick said in its report.

In October 2020, Dubai launched an innovative programme that allowed overseas telecommuting professionals to live in the city while continuing to serve their employers in their home country. The move offers remote workers — and their families — the opportunity to relocate, on an annual basis, to one of the world’s leading tourist and business destinations and enjoy a safe and high-quality lifestyle supported by a solid digital infrastructure that offers connectivity.

“Very few countries have enacted legislation designed to attract foreign-employed workers. Instead, they only offer visas to those who take jobs on location, therefore missing the opportunity to bring high-wage earners to their cities without the need to generate new jobs”, said Nestpick.

Omer Kucukdere, founder and CEO of Nestpick, said the global pandemic has caused many people to reassess their personal priorities, revealing the benefits of remote working flexibility and prompting the question ‘is it really possible to work from home, anywhere.’

He said the last year really proved to many companies that remote working is not only a possibility, but actually something that can be beneficial to everyone involved.

“What we saw through our study, however, is that technology and employers have evolved faster than infrastructure, with many legal barriers still in place for migrants who want to bring their work with them”, said Kucukdere.

The Work-from-Anywhere Index also used data in its study to determine which cities are not only the most attractive to foreign workers, but which also have the infrastructure and legislation in place to make it easier for them to find jobs. life and work. The resulting index offers insight into a wide range of factors encompassing cost, infrastructure, legislation, and livability to reveal which cities are best prepared to attract this new breed of residents working from anywhere.

“High income earners are leaving business-oriented cities to live in places that offer better everyday lifestyles, taking their purchasing power with them. This trend will only gain in popularity over time, so we believe that we will see more and more cities adapt to these new working conditions and benefit from the economic boost these workers are injecting into their economies”, Kucukdere said.

— issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com