I have been offered a job by a company based in Dubai, but the offer does not include medical insurance. I am currently on an Abu Dhabi visa and have cover as per the law, but I heard that companies in Dubai must now also provide medical insurance for their employees. When I queried this I was told I was wrong, but friends agree with me. Can you confirm who is right? P L, Abu Dhabi
A new law has just come into effect in Dubai which states that employers must provide medical insurance for their staff, but the requirement is not immediate. There are various implementation dates depending on the size of the company. The largest companies with 1,000 or more employees must provide cover by October of this year; companies with 100 to 999 employees have until July 2015 and the remainder have until June 2016. Employers are required to provide cover for their employees, not their families. Employees are expected to provide cover for their dependents, and any domestic staff, by the end of June 2016 at the latest. Employers who do not comply will face substantial fines of up to Dh150,000. In P L’s case, the new employer has until July 2015 to provide medical insurance so if he takes this job he should consider making his own arrangements in the interim.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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