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Career Transition

Outplacement services in Dubai that turn an ending into a confident next step

Our outplacement services in Dubai help the people leaving your organisation find their next role faster — with recruiter-grade coaching, practical UAE visa and gratuity guidance, and support that shows the people who stay you handle change with care.

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Outplacement for employers

Good for the people who leave. Essential for those who stay.

How an organisation handles redundancy is remembered — by departing employees, by the team that remains and by every future candidate who hears about it. Career transition services make that moment fair, practical and humane.

For departing employees

Free, confidential support from consultants who recruit in the UAE every day.

  • CV and LinkedIn rewritten by recruiters for the Gulf market
  • Interview preparation, including mock interviews
  • A structured job-search plan built around the visa grace period
  • Access to the hidden job market through networking
  • Career-change, retraining and entrepreneurship guidance
  • Wellbeing support to manage stress and uncertainty

For employers

A responsible exit process that protects reputation, culture and future hiring.

  • Protects your employer brand in a connected market
  • Maintains morale and trust among remaining staff
  • Briefs managers to deliver difficult news well
  • Clear scope, fixed proposal and anonymised reporting for HR

Redundancy support in the UAE

What UAE law means for notice, gratuity and visas

Outplacement works best when people understand their position. These are the essentials our consultants explain in every programme. It is general information for mainland private-sector employees, not legal advice.

Notice period

Under Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, either party must give written notice of at least 30 days and no more than 90 days, as set in the contract. The contract continues to run during notice.

End-of-service gratuity

After one year of continuous service, gratuity is 21 days' basic wage per year for the first five years and 30 days per year after that, capped at two years' wage.

Final settlement

Employers must pay outstanding wages, entitlements and gratuity within 14 days of the contract ending. Gratuity is calculated on basic salary, not allowances.

Visa cancellation

The employer cancels the work permit and residence visa. ICP lists grace periods of 30 days for most categories, 90 days for skilled workers at levels 1–3 and 180 days for Golden and Green residence holders.

DIFC and ADGM employers follow their own employment laws, and contracts or company policy may be more generous than the minimums above. Check the details on the UAE Government portal and ICP's residency cancellation service. For policy design and compliant separation processes, our HR consultancy team works alongside your legal advisers.

Programme tiers

Outplacement programmes for every level

Combine tiers within one restructure — group workshops for teams, one-to-one support for managers and a discreet programme for senior leaders.

Group programme

Teams, frontline & mid-level

Typically 1–3 days of workshops, plus short one-to-ones

  • CV, LinkedIn & interview workshops
  • Job-search & networking masterclass
  • Visa, gratuity & next-steps briefing
  • Individual follow-up sessions

Individual programme

Professionals & managers

Typically 1–3 months with a dedicated consultant

  • Career review & target-role plan
  • Recruiter-written CV & LinkedIn
  • Mock interviews & salary negotiation
  • Weekly accountability check-ins

Executive programme

Directors & C-suite

Typically 3–6 months, fully confidential

  • Leadership brand & market positioning
  • Executive CV & board biography
  • Introductions to search networks
  • Portfolio, board & advisory options

Every tier includes a recruiter-written CV — the same standard as our professional CV writing service.

Employer checklist

How to run a respectful exit in the UAE

The practical steps that separate a well-handled restructure from one people talk about for years.

01

Before the announcement

  • Confirm the business case and selection criteria in writing
  • Calculate notice, gratuity and leave balances for each person
  • Agree the visa cancellation timeline with your PRO team
  • Brief and rehearse the managers who will hold conversations
  • Book outplacement so support starts the same day
02

On the day

  • Hold conversations privately and in person where possible
  • Give a written letter covering notice, final settlement and visa steps
  • Introduce the outplacement consultant and first session
  • Explain what colleagues will be told, and when
  • Avoid Friday-afternoon or pre-holiday timing
03

After the exit

  • Pay final dues within the 14-day legal window
  • Provide experience certificates and references promptly
  • Keep in touch with people through the programme
  • Brief remaining teams honestly on what changes next
  • Review the process and capture lessons for HR

How it works

A calm, structured process from announcement to next role

We work alongside your HR team so the programme is ready before news is shared — and support continues until the programme ends.

  1. 01

    Plan with HR

    We agree scope, programme tiers, messaging and timing with HR and leadership before any announcement.

  2. 02

    Day-one support

    Consultants are available when news is shared, so affected employees have a clear, human next step straight away.

  3. 03

    Coach & equip

    One-to-one and group sessions cover CVs, LinkedIn, interviews, networking and a personal job-search plan.

  4. 04

    Land & report

    We support each person until the programme ends and give HR anonymised updates on engagement and outcomes.

Measuring outcomes

Career transition services UAE employers can measure

You should know whether a programme works. We agree the measures with HR at the start and report them anonymised at agreed intervals — never individual conversations.

  • Take-up: how many eligible people start the programme, and how quickly
  • Engagement: sessions attended and workshop participation
  • Readiness: CVs, LinkedIn profiles and job-search plans completed
  • Landing: people who secure a role, start a business or choose another path, reported by programme end
  • Experience: anonymous participant feedback on usefulness and fairness

Grace-period planning

Job-search plans are sequenced around notice and visa timelines, so the highest-value actions happen first.

Hidden job market

Many UAE roles are filled through referrals. We show participants how to reach them professionally.

GCC-wide options

Guidance for opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the wider region, or a move home.

Wellbeing first

Space to process change, rebuild confidence and look after mental health during the search.

Participants can also search jobs in Dubai and the GCC on our platforms, and senior leaders can speak with our executive search consultants about the market for their profile.

FAQ

Outplacement questions from UAE employers

Programme length, cost, visas after redundancy and what departing employees receive.

Still have questions?

Our consultants answer within one business day.

Ask our team

Outplacement is career transition support that an employer funds for people leaving the organisation, usually because of restructuring or redundancy. In the UAE it typically covers career planning, CV and LinkedIn rewriting, interview preparation, a job-search strategy for the Gulf market and practical guidance on visa and relocation decisions, so people move on faster and with confidence.

The employer pays. For the departing employee the programme is free, and it sits alongside — never instead of — their legal entitlements such as notice pay and end-of-service gratuity. Many UAE employers include outplacement in the separation letter so people know from day one what support they will receive.

It depends on the tier. Group programmes usually run as one to three days of workshops plus short individual sessions. Individual programmes typically last one to three months, and executive programmes three to six months. We agree the length with HR in advance, based on seniority, the local job market and your budget.

We price each programme after understanding how many people are affected, their levels and the support you want to offer. Group workshops cost less per person than one-to-one coaching, and many employers combine tiers within one restructure. You receive a fixed written proposal before anything is announced.

The employer cancels the work permit and residence visa. The individual then has a grace period to stay in the UAE, find a new sponsor or leave. According to ICP, this is 30 days for most categories, 90 days for skilled workers at levels 1–3 and 180 days for Golden and Green residence holders. Always confirm the current rules with ICP or GDRFA.

Yes. For larger restructures in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates we run on-site or virtual group workshops, supported by individual sessions so every affected employee gets meaningful help. We can deliver in English and Arabic and schedule sessions around shift patterns.

Yes. Some people use a transition to change industry, retrain, go freelance, start a business or move to another GCC country or back home. Our consultants help with each of those paths — not only like-for-like job searches in Dubai — including realistic planning around visa grace periods and family schooling.

Yes. Employers receive only agreed, anonymised progress information, such as attendance and whether people have secured a role. What participants discuss with their consultant stays private, and personal data is handled in line with the UAE Personal Data Protection Law. We sign an NDA with the employer before any details are shared.

Related services

Support for the people who stay, too

HR consultancy & restructuring

Organisation design, grading and HR policies aligned with UAE labour law.
Learn more

Leadership & team coaching

Help managers lead remaining teams through change with confidence.
Learn more

Individual career coaching

One-to-one coaching for anyone planning their own next move.
Learn more

Talk to us in confidence

Planning a restructure? Let's support your people together

Tell us the number of people affected, their levels and your timeline. We will propose a programme and handle the conversation with complete discretion.

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