Language Diversity Is The Gulf’s Hidden Business Advantage

Post by Dr Hyun-Jung Lee, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Cross Cultural Management in the Department of Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

In a Doha high-rise, a Pakistani project manager asks her Dutch colleague for help crafting a complex email. Both are non-native English speakers, but their collaboration is built on mutual respect, shared goals and a practical need to communicate. Around them, Arabic, Tagalog, and Hindi can be heard, but it’s imperfect English that is driving their project forward.

The world is on the move. According to the International Organization for Migration’s 2024 report, foreign-born populations now make up 88% of the UAE, 77% of Qatar, and 73% of Kuwait. In Australia and New Zealand, it’s around 30%; in Canada and the US, it’s 21% and 15% respectively.

The so-called “minority-majority” shift is already unfolding in major global cities like London, Amsterdam, New York, and Singapore. Amid all the political and cultural debates of this dramatic change, the rise of language diversity in the workplace is often overlooked. This is the topic of my paper – the unexpected upside of high language diversity – which I have just had published in the Journal of Management.

The Arabian Gulf, where the workforce is among the most internationally diverse in the world, is an interesting case study. In some Gulf companies, over 50 nationalities work side-by-side. Many of the workers are permanent residents and occupy key positions in industries such as oil and gas, education, infrastructure, healthcare and tech.

English has become the lingua franca in the Gulf, but fluency is patchy, and Arabic, the official language, plays only a limited role outside legal and government contexts. Many high-skilled migrants do not speak Arabic and very few are expected or encouraged to learn it.

The way English is used reveals a fascinating pattern: language challenges often become the foundation for connection in the workplace. In my research, I found that professionals are more likely to seek language advice from those outside their own linguistic or national group. As one Gulf-based worker from Pakistan told me, “If I ask someone from my own background, they might make the same mistake.”

What’s emerging is a new kind of linguistic economy – one where fluency, adaptability, and accent matter more than where you are from. Relationships are forged through language gaps. Asking for help signals humility, trust and openness.

This may be a glimpse into the future of the global workplace. As we become more dependent on migrant labor and our cities diversify, the ability to lead across linguistic and cultural boundaries will be a crucial skill.

It’s time we recognized the subtle power of language to shape belonging, productivity and opportunity. Language diversity is becoming a hidden business advantage.

Follow LSE’s Department of Management on LinkedIn. Check out our website.