Catherwood LibraryILR School

90% of Dubai's population is foreign labor ? a characteristic of the United Arab Emirates city-state that leaves it susceptible to a large population exit amid mass layoffs and economic downturn. As foreign employees lose jobs, they often have little choice but to leave Dubai, which now has few prospects for those trying to find new work. In fact, 3,000 abandoned cars currently sit in the Dubai Airport. Adding to likeliness of a fleeing population, is the fact that foreigners may be imprisoned for not paying their debts, and that unemployed foreigners lose work visas within a month. The mass exit creates further troubles for the city's economy as whole: real estate prices have plummeted, sales have decreased sharply, and new projects have halted. Dubai's government has refused to release data on the matter, attempting to shield the city's economic outlook in secrecy.