The entire situation in the Gulf has changed considerably in the past 5 years. I can speak for the UAE. I don’t know much about Qatar or Saudi Arabia. Expat packages are no longer as lucrative as they were in the mid 2000s or even 10 years back. You currently have a huge influx of educated Indians and Pakistanis competing for fewer jobs and garbage wages. They are okay with living in crappy conditions with the hope of gaining some relevant local experience and eventually climbing the corporate ladder. On top of that, inflation has hit cities like Dubai very hard with rents increasing by 30% within a span of 2 years. Unless someone already has a very lucrative expat package in hand, which also includes housing costs, moving to a city like Dubai from the west or even some third world countries is foolish. They would be looking at a very crappy life.