Industrial units to grow as UAE's construction sector matures

The total number of factories and warehouses in the UAE is set to increase markedly in the next five years as new mega projects come on stream and the sector expands rapidly.

A report by the Abu Dhabi-based think tank Truth Economic Consultancy predicts that the number of industrial units in the country is set to expand from 4,960 at the end of 2010 to 7,142 by 2017.

The report, supported by the factory and warehouse provider Dubai Industrial City, found that the number of units in the country rose 63 per cent between 2004 and 2010, equating to an annual increase of 8.5 per cent. In 2004, total industrial stock in the country numbered 3,036 units.

The report expects the value of capital invested into the industrial sector will nearly double in the period from 2010 to 2017. It predicts that total invested capital will increase from Dh110.2 billion (US$30bn) in 2010 to Dh162.7bn by the end of 2017.

It also predicts that the industrial labour force will grow by 52 per cent in that period, from 382,012 workers to about 580,500.

The report predicts that as the construction sector matures, the industrial sector will grow as a percentage of GDP from its current level of 10 per cent.

lbarnard@thenational.ae