Still choosing the UAE.

At a glance

Almost three in four executives applying to work across a border chose the UAE.

Seven months after headlines about an expat exit, executives applying to Fractional from outside the country they were in still picked Dubai and Abu Dhabi over 62 other Fractional hubs around the world.

Of cross-border applicants chose the UAE

73%

The UAE versus every other market combined

2.8x

Countries of origin

27

Say they will relocate or visit regularly

98%

Base: IP-verified applications to Fractional city sites, 1 Aug to 13 Oct 2026. Cross-border = applied from outside the country of the city chosen, residents applying while travelling excluded.

Why this data matters

A live signal of where talent is heading.

In March 2026, reports described the largest outflow of foreign residents from Dubai in decades. Fractional's application data looks the other way: at who is still trying to come in.

1. Observed, not asked. Executives choose which city site to apply through, and the system records the country they were in when they applied. That is behaviour, not an opinion poll.
2. A real choice. Fractional lists 64 hubs worldwide, 12 live and 52 in development. Every applicant could have chosen any of them, including their home market.
3. Counted strictly. Residents applying while abroad are excluded. Every figure is a share or ratio, and each one was re-derived from the raw data by an independent check.

Finding 1 | The pull

It held every month, even as new city sites opened.

• 73% over ten weeks. Almost three in four executives applying to work outside the country they were in chose Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
• Steady, not a spike. 77% in August, 70% in September and 71% in the first half of October.
• Against more choice. The share held while 35 Fractional hubs around the world took their first applications.

Finding 2 | The scale

The UAE drew nearly three times as many cross-border executives as everywhere else combined.

For every ten executives who crossed a border to apply to any other Fractional market, 28 crossed a border to apply to the UAE.

The UAE versus all other markets combined

2.8x

Dubai versus Singapore, the next most chosen

7x+

Other Fractional hubs applicants could have chosen

62

Finding 3 | Inbound talent

More than one in four UAE applicants were living abroad when they applied.

• 27% for the UAE. More than one in four executives applying to Dubai or Abu Dhabi were outside the country and not resident here.
• 8% everywhere else. Across every other Fractional market combined, fewer than one in ten applied from abroad.
• 3.6x the pull. The UAE draws senior talent from beyond its borders at more than three times the rate of the rest of the network.

Finding 4 | Nobody applying out

None of the executives applying from inside the UAE chose to work in another market.

0%of UAE-based applicants chose a city abroad

• 62 alternatives. Executives in the UAE could have applied to any of Fractional's other hubs, from London to Singapore. None did.
• The flow runs one way. Inbound applications from 27 countries, outbound applications to none.
• Read it carefully. People in the UAE are more likely to find the Dubai site first, so this shows where they chose to apply, not a population trend.

Finding 5 | Where they come from

Europe and South Asia lead, with every inhabited continent represented.

• 36% from Europe. Continental Europe 22%, the UK and Ireland 14%.
• 24% from South Asia. India alone accounts for 22% of non-resident applicants.
• 27 countries in ten weeks, including India, United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain, United States, Ireland, Italy, Thailand, Australia, Canada, South Korea and Peru.

Finding 6 | Commitment

Almost all of them say they will be on the ground.

Say they will relocate or visit regularly

98%

Of all relocation answers in the network chose the UAE

74%

Relocation intent versus other markets

3.7x

Finding 7 | Seniority

Senior talent, not early-career job seekers.

• Long track records. More than half have at least 15 years in executive roles, and over a third have 20 or more.
• The same calibre as the market. Their seniority matches executives who are already based in the UAE.
• Every function. COOs, CFOs, CMOs, CEOs, CTOs and HR leaders all feature.

15+ years as an executive

52%

20+ years as an executive

36%

15+ years, among those already here

53%

For editors

Five stories in the data.

Suggested headline: Senior executives are still choosing the UAE, Fractional data shows.

1. The talent kept coming. Despite this year's exodus headlines, executives from 27 countries are still choosing the UAE: 73% of cross-border applicants.
2. The UAE versus the world. Nearly three times as many cross-border executives as every other market combined, and more than seven times Singapore.
3. Commit first, move later. Two thirds plan to serve UAE businesses with regular visits, before or instead of moving their household. Fractional work makes that possible.
4. Europe's executives look east. 36% of non-resident applicants are in Europe, with the UK and Spain among the top five countries.
5. Senior, not speculative. More than half have 15+ years of executive experience, the same profile as leaders already based here.