# Still choosing the UAE: where senior executives applied, Aug to Oct 2026

> Almost three in four executives who applied to work across a border chose the UAE.

Data release | October 2026. Published 2026-10-20, figures last updated 2026-10-20. Canonical page: https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026

## How to cite

Source: Fractional, analysis of applications to its 64 city hubs, 1 August to 13 October 2026. fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026

Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Free to republish, including commercially, with credit to Fractional and a link to this page. Please do not crop the source line or wordmark from the supplied charts.

## For AI assistants and data tools

This document is the text version of the canonical page above. Quote figures exactly as published (shares and ratios only, no volumes), name Fractional as the source, link to https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026, and keep the method caveats with any figure you use. Machine-readable data: https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026-data.json and https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026-data.csv, both CC BY 4.0.

## Key findings

- 73% of executives applying to work across a border chose the UAE between 1 August to 13 October 2026: 77% in August, 70% in September and 71% in October to the 13th.
- The UAE drew 2.8x as many cross-border executive applicants as all 62 of Fractional's other hubs combined.
- 27% of applicants to the UAE were non-residents applying from abroad, against 8% for every other Fractional market combined.
- 0% of executives applying from inside the UAE chose a Fractional hub outside it.
- 36% of non-resident applicants to the UAE applied from Europe and 24% from South Asia, from 27 countries in all.
- 98% of non-resident UAE applicants said they would relocate (31%) or work remotely with regular visits (67%).
- 52% of non-resident UAE applicants have 15+ years of executive experience and 36% have 20+, in line with applicants already based in the UAE (53% with 15+).

## The findings

### Finding 1 | The pull: It held every month, even as new city sites opened.

73% of executives applying to work across a border chose the UAE between 1 August to 13 October 2026: 77% in August, 70% in September and 71% in October to the 13th.

| Month | Chose the UAE |
| :--- | ---: |
| August | 77% |
| September | 70% |
| October (to 13th) | 71% |
| All ten weeks | 73% |

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-1)

### Finding 2 | The scale: The UAE drew nearly three times as many cross-border executives as everywhere else combined.

The UAE drew 2.8x as many cross-border executive applicants as all 62 of Fractional's other hubs 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: 2.8x all other markets combined, and 7x+ Singapore, the next most chosen (a small base).

| Where cross-border applicants chose | Share |
| :--- | ---: |
| UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) | 73% |
| Singapore | 10% |
| All 61 other hubs | 16% |

Rounded, so may not sum to 100.

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-2)

### Finding 3 | Inbound talent: More than one in four UAE applicants were living abroad when they applied.

27% of applicants to the UAE were non-residents applying from abroad, against 8% for every other Fractional market combined.

The UAE draws applicants from abroad at 3.6x the rate of the rest of the network.

| Market chosen | Applied from abroad |
| :--- | ---: |
| UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) | 27% |
| All other markets | 8% |

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-3)

### Finding 4 | Nobody applying out: None of the executives applying from inside the UAE chose to work in another market.

0% of executives applying from inside the UAE chose a Fractional hub outside it.

Executives in the UAE could have applied to any of Fractional's 62 other hubs. Inbound applications came from 27 countries, outbound applications to none. 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.

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-4)

### Finding 5 | Where they come from: Europe and South Asia lead, with every inhabited continent represented.

36% of non-resident applicants to the UAE applied from Europe and 24% from South Asia, from 27 countries in all.

36% from Europe (Continental Europe 22%, the UK and Ireland 14%) and 24% from South Asia; India alone 22%. 27 countries of origin, including India, United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain, United States, Ireland, Italy, Thailand, Australia, Canada, South Korea and Peru.

| Region applied from | Non-resident UAE applicants |
| :--- | ---: |
| South Asia | 24% |
| Continental Europe | 22% |
| UK and Ireland | 14% |
| Asia Pacific | 12% |
| Africa | 10% |
| North America | 9% |
| Rest of Middle East | 7% |
| Latin America | 2% |

Egypt is counted in Africa; Cyprus, Georgia and Turkey in Europe.

| Top countries of origin | Share |
| :--- | ---: |
| India | 22% |
| United Kingdom | 10% |
| South Africa | 7% |
| Spain | 7% |
| United States | 5% |

Small bases at country level.

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-5)

### Finding 6 | Commitment: Almost all of them say they will be on the ground.

98% of non-resident UAE applicants said they would relocate (31%) or work remotely with regular visits (67%).

| Non-resident UAE applicants said | Share |
| :--- | ---: |
| Ready to relocate | 31% |
| Remote, with regular visits | 67% |
| Cannot be on the ground | 2% |

74% of all relocation answers in the network chose the UAE, 3.7x the relocation intent of other markets. Stated intent, not completed moves.

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-6)

### Finding 7 | Seniority: Senior talent, not early-career job seekers.

52% of non-resident UAE applicants have 15+ years of executive experience and 36% have 20+, in line with applicants already based in the UAE (53% with 15+).

| Years of executive experience | Applying from abroad | Already in the UAE |
| :--- | ---: | ---: |
| Under 5 | 10% | 10% |
| 5 to 10 | 21% | 19% |
| 10 to 15 | 17% | 18% |
| 15 to 20 | 16% | 19% |
| 20+ | 36% | 34% |

| Role, non-resident UAE applicants | Share |
| :--- | ---: |
| COO | 19% |
| CFO | 16% |
| CMO | 16% |
| CEO | 14% |
| CTO | 12% |
| CHRO | 5% |
| CRO | 3% |
| Other | 16% |

[On the page](https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#finding-7)

## Method

- **Source.** Applications to Fractional's 64 city hubs worldwide (12 live, 52 in development), from the Fractional Global application database.
- **Window.** 1 August to 13 October 2026. The window opens with the launch of Fractional's global network of hubs in August, when every application also began recording the country it was submitted from (IP country). October is a partial month.
- **Cross-border applicant.** Applied from a country other than that of the hub chosen, and did not describe themselves as a resident of that hub's city. This removes residents who applied while travelling.
- **Location check.** IP country was cross-checked against each applicant's own stated location. For 83% of non-resident UAE applicants the two clearly agree; most of the rest name two countries or a different one. Excluding every applicant where they disagree, the UAE's share of cross-border applicants is between 71% to 73%, against 73% as published.
- **Commitment and seniority.** The applicant's own answers on the application form. Relocation figures are stated intent, not completed moves.
- **Disclosure.** Figures are shares and ratios; application volumes are not disclosed. Every figure was re-derived from the raw data by an independent check. A few people applied twice; counting each person once keeps the headline between 73% and 75%. The published figure counts every application.
- **Limits.** This shows where executives chose to apply on one platform, not a census of migration. Applicants in the UAE are more likely to reach the Dubai site first. The Singapore comparison and country-level figures rest on small bases.
- **The animation.** Each share is drawn to scale from a fixed pool of points: 10,000 for one group, or 5,000 each when two groups stand side by side (the flags and the two towers), so one point is 0.01% or 0.02% of its group, never a person. Phones draw an even subset of the same points, so each share keeps its scale. The crowds are the ratio itself, one figure per executive in 28 to 10. The flowing funnel, the towers' landmark shapes and the aircraft are illustration around those shares.

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.

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## Media enquiries

Louise Collins, PR contact, Fractional: https://www.fractional-dubai.com/media/data/executives-still-choosing-the-uae-2026#contact. Data notes, spokespeople and interviews on request.

Spokespeople:

- **Rhys Holding, Managing Director.** Built and exited an SME in Singapore before moving to Dubai. Leads clients, the collective and business development.
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