For Dubai resident Sanish, the beginning of the US-Iran war brought a tough situation — his salary was cut down to Dh800 per month. Working in the hospitality industry, he is thankful that he still has a job.
“A lot of people in my company and in my friend circles were let go because of how the war impacted the tourism industry,” he said. “So even though my salary was slashed, I was thankful for the income. Since I am single and have no other responsibilities, I am able to scrape through with this salary.”
However, earlier this week when the US President Donald Trump announced that a peace deal had been agreed with Iran, he said that everyone around him felt happy and relieved. “I was awake watching the news while everyone else slept,” he said. “When the announcement came, I almost cried with relief. I quickly messaged my company Whatsapp group and some of the others who were awake replied. It suddenly felt like we could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
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He said that the last few months were some of the hardest in his 23 years of life. “It felt like every aspect of my life had been impacted,” he said. “My salary had been cut, the prices of everything went up and all my family members were impacted in one way or the other. The news of the deal brought immense relief. I really feel that by September, everything in the UAE will bounce back and things will go back to normal.”
The war which began on February 28, lasted over 100 days before the peace deal was announced on June 15. The UAE has remained resilient throughout but faced higher operating costs, disrupted trade routes, and softer tourism sentiment.
Job losses
Indian expat Mohammed Iqbal was let go from his role at a travel agency three months ago and he has still been unable to find another job. The first thing he did was pull his toddler out of her nursery.
“Right now, we are surviving on my wife’s salary as a teacher,” he said. “My company has been kind enough to let me stay on their visa for as long as it takes me to find another job. However, with just one salary, our finances have been very tight. So, we pulled my daughter out and she stays home with me.”
Mohammed said that the news of the deal flooded him with relief. “I am just waiting for Friday when the deal will be formally signed and the Hormuz Strait will open,” he said. “I am sure that the travel industry will pick up and I will get a good job. The first thing I want to do is enrol my daughter back in nursery. She is a very social child and used to enjoy spending time with her friends. Now, although I am happy that I get more time with her, I feel guilty that I am not able to provide for her to go to nursery.”
According to experts, the peace deal could help restore employer confidence, prompting companies to revisit recruitment plans that were put on hold, particularly in trade, infrastructure, and economic growth sectors.
Another resident, Alya Hussain, is two months into a six-month furlough. She said she could not believe her eyes when she saw the news of the peace deal. “I had woken up at around 6am on Tuesday and I saw the breaking news alert on my phone,” she said.
“I sat there for around 30 minutes, checking and rechecking the news. I could not believe it. I immediately went and prayed, thanking God for this positive development.”
She added that she was hopeful that the situation in her industry would improve soon. “I am keeping a positive mindset,” she said. “This month, I took out a credit card loan to make ends meet. I am hopeful that either my company will cut short the furlough or that I will be able to pick up from freelance work. Right now, I am just so grateful that finally an end is in sight to this situation.”
Source: Khaleej Times