UAE: Low-Income Expats Under Pressure During Pandemic

UAE: Low-Income Expats Under Pressure During Pandemic

Dubai's property market is short on offerings for lower middle-income expats with salaries between Dh4,000 to Dh8,000, and most of them are new entrants to the emirate's job market, say developers.

Speaking at a recent webinar, they said one of the major challenges faced by this salary class is the difficulty in obtaining bank financing to finance their properties.

"If we look at the pyramid, right at the bottom are blue-collar workers. Their housing is standardised and their employers take care of that. The next segment that really needs good quality housing is the lower-middle-income group with a salary of Dh4,000 to Dh8,000," said Sailesh Israni, managing director of Sun and Sand Developers.

"These are the people who first come to Dubai as young engineers, clerks, draftsmen, etc. These are the people who are