UAE ranked world’s second hardest working nation, but residents having fun too

• Study by communications agency duke+mir uncovered data clocking UAE workers at an average 50.9 hours per week
• Residents are having fun with most (97%) going out for entertainment every month and seven in 10 dining out every week

The UAE is the world’s second hardest working country, according to a report by communications agency duke+mir. Residents in the Emirates work an average 50.9 hours per week, but they also have fun, with 97% going out for entertainment every month. The study, which included a poll of more than 1,000 residents, also found that seven in 10 people in the UAE dine out every single week.

The duke+mir study included a commissioned survey of UAE residents and global statistics from the International Labour Organization (ILO). The ILO data showed that the UAE was only behind Bhutan for average hours worked per week. Lesotho, Congo and Qatar completed the top five.

Mir Murtaza Khurshid, Partner at duke+mir discussed the report’s findings, “This study highlights that the UAE is proudly one of the most hard-working countries in the world. Emirati nationals and expatriate workers are contributing to the UAE’s rapid growth and success, but also finding time to have fun and enjoy themselves. With some of the world’s most exciting entertainment options, it’s clear that the UAE is the global capital of ‘work-hard, play-hard’ culture.”

In line with the UAE’s vision for a healthy nation, the research also found encouraging participation in sports, with two-thirds (66%) of people playing sport every week, with that figure rising to 75% among young adults (18-24 years old).

In addition, the poll found that every week 37% of UAE residents go out to watch live sports, 24% go to the cinema and 23% go to a live performance (such as a concert, gig or theatre event).

The report also covers at-home activities. Every week, more than eight in 10 people (83%) watch movies and nearly seven in 10 (68%) tune in to live sports from the comfort of their home. The data also uncovered that much of that viewing comes from subscriptions – 81% of UAE residents have one or more paid subscriptions.

However, nearly a third of people in the UAE have subscriptions that they rarely use and would like to cancel, potentially equating to millions of dirhams in dormant accounts.