What is the "vibe" in Qatar these days given the Global Economic Meltdown
I am curious to know what the perception is locally of the economic situation/job stability/etc. in Qatar these days. Al Jazeera has posted a couple of worrying articles these past few days that don't paint a rosy picture for the Gulf States but leaves Qatar looking perhaps better than its neighbors. I am considering a possible post there locally and will need to formulate an opinion on the economic viability of the proposed project. Thank you.
Thank you Bad. You've been very helpful. I doubt I will be leaving work so early but I have been thinking that this job in particular connected to the government as it is could be an extra benefit. I'll keep you posted on my final decision.
In that case you'll be better off than most of the expatriates here in Qatar since it is the private sector that would be having lay-offs (if any). Add to that equation relaxed working hours as some government agencies here officially work until 3 pm only - life here is generally less stressful than being the West (unless you count the awful driving habits here!). Not to mention that you'll experience first hand one of the handful of world economies that realistically expects to weather the turbulence of the global economic meltdown.
Thank you Bad for that. This has been my impression as well that Qatar seems to be better. I don't want to "jinx" myself right now but the job I am looking at will be for a government run agency providing needed services for all industries. I really will need to feel good about the general economic stability of the country and additionally the entire region sooner or later in order to even consider uprooting myself.
The vibe here is still pretty good given the current panic that's being experienced by its neighbours such as Dubai. The Central Bank of Qatar is projecting a moderate but healthy GDP growth of 9 percent this year and I haven't personally heard of any major retrenchments or lay-offs. Part of the main reason is because unlike Dubai, Qatar actually relies on oil and natural gas as its main economic resources rather than Dubai which focuses wholly on finance and tourism.
Nevertheless it would be wrong to say that there isn't impact at all - i think the construction sector here is beginning to slow down a bit and the Qatari currency (being pegged to the US dollar) has been experiencing fluctuations too. Which industry will you be joining?