The UAE has joined France and the Netherlands in the list of top three countries with the fastest growing group of happiness professionals in the world, a LinkedIn survey said.
In the UAE alone, the number of happiness officers in public and private sector have doubled since 2015, it added.
In February 2016, Ohood Al Roumi was named as the first UAE’s Minister of Happiness in February 2016 with 60 Chief Happiness and Positivity Officers being appointed.
The primary aim of these officers is in coordinating the government’s efforts towards the adoption and implementation of measures that make a happier society.
“From LinkedIn’s research we can say that last year there were people hired with the word happiness as part of their job titles and this year, the figure has doubled,” Nada Enan, Senior Manager for Marketing and Public Relations at LinkedIn Middle East and North Africa, told Arabian Business.
The results are part of the company’s digital mapping of the economy using information from its 3 million UAE members.
“It’s clear that the UAE is the happiest place in the region to live and work – our numbers can confirm it. Not only is the UAE home to many people with ‘happiness’ in their job title, it is also a thriving hub for start-ups.” Enan said.
LinkedIn did not reveal the number of happiness officers in the country, claiming, the study was released for UAE only in the current stage.
In October 2014, the Dubai government launched an initiative to measure the public’s happiness and satisfaction with government services by setting up “Happiness Meters” that monitor the satisfaction of the public in government services on a daily basis.
As part of its smart city agenda, Dubai is aiming to be part of the top 10 happiest cities in the world by 2021.
