Abu Dhabi relies entirely on foreign workers for its service industry. With rents in Abu Dhabi going through the roof, a question that comes to mind is, where do the people who work in the shops and restaurants live? How can they afford to live here?A few months ago when I was in the Hamdan area of town, I noticed all of the utility poles were covered with notices for rental bed spaces. For the most part, all of the advertisements were for a bed space and had specific requirements for "men only" or "women only" or "Muslim only." These weren't the type of advertisements usually in the upscale grocery stores.
In addition, this part of town is completely filled with tiny shops that sell or repair almost anything. I don't usually go down to Hamdan street because of the construction, traffic, or lack of parking but a person without a car wouldn't have to worry about that. While I can't say exactly what part of town these advertisements were for, it's a good bet that they are somewhere near Hamdan, the center of town.
My assistant lives in an apartment with 15 other women. That's how they afford it.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much what I suspected. I know one woman who lives way out in Baniyas and takes the bus in every day. I figure those are two of the ways in which the service industry can afford to live in Abu Dhabi.
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