Angela Wang. Attorney for M
What can we learn about attracting talent from your city of residence?
The United Arab Emirates is one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East, as well as a business center and coveted vacation destination. Curiously, 85% of its population is expat, a statistic that has been repeated for years.
Anyone who has considered relocating for work knows that beginnings are difficult. The procedures are many and usually entail a few first months of important disbursements (financial and time). And that occurs while, in parallel, one acclimatizes to a new country, culture, way of working, and circle of friends. However, the UAE has managed to make this whole cumbersome process relatively easy. The country demonstrates, actively and passively, that it wants to attract highly trained human capital to continue developing by leaps and bounds.
After this relatively smooth arrival process, life is incredibly comfortable. Dubai is safe, clean and convenient. Almost everything can be managed from the mobile and practically everything can be delivered to your home quickly. Obtaining financing is easy and at very low interest. International schools abound for those who want their children to receive an education similar to that of their country of origin. The UAE wants to make Dubai the new home for its expats.
How could you move to Barcelona?
Barcelona has been, and continues to be, a highly attractive city for young talent. This is an indisputable fact and one that many companies rely on to attract foreigners wanting to settle in the city despite the fact that salaries, in absolute terms, are not necessarily the same as those in their city of origin.
Despite the recent proposals to accompany expats in their landing and align the public administration with the private sector -which has always been clear that Barcelona has to grow by combining local and international talent-, internationals (leaving aside citizens of the EU) suffer some frustration with the bureaucracy that they constantly face.
Barcelona must place emphasis on measures that, on the one hand, allow international talent to feel that they are welcome and, on the other hand, that attract not only young talent but also mature and consolidated talent. And that happens not only by streamlining both bureaucratic (NIEs, residence permits, visas) and vital procedures (bank account, health, international schools) but also because public administrations and private entities openly express their desire to make Barcelona a truly international.
