Today's Edition
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
Affluent investors in the UAE and globally are no longer waiting until later life to retire, with many instead planning fluid, frequent and intentional pauses in their careers, according to HSBC’s Affluent Investor Snapshot 2025 survey.
“The traditional approach to retirement planning – study, work, then retire – is being passed over by five in ten affluent investors worldwide,” the bank said in its global Quality of Life report, which polled 10,797 individuals across 12 markets, including 697 respondents from the UAE. Each had investable assets of between $100,000 and $2 million.
The survey found that 41% of affluent investors in the UAE plan to take at least one “mini retirement” career break, with 73% of them considering two or more such breaks. More than four-in-five (81%) of these respondents expressed confidence in their financial planning to fund these pauses – a higher rate than the global average of 74%.
A mini retirement is defined as a clean career break, typically lasting 6–12 months, intended for travel, spending quality time with family, pursuing hobbies or developing new skills. Unlike sabbaticals, they often last longer and can spark significant life changes, including a career shift or launching a business.
UAE respondents are planning an average of 3.2 mini retirements over a lifetime – the highest among all surveyed markets. Around 51% plan two to three breaks, while 22% plan more than three, with a preferred interval of about six years between each pause.
Notably, 82% of UAE respondents planning a ‘mini retirement’ say it will positively impact their overall quality of life, notably higher than the global average of 74%.
Gen Z and Millennials in the UAE are leading this trend, with younger investors aspiring to take the most frequent breaks compared with older counterparts.
Their motivations include spending quality time with family (31%), starting a business or entrepreneurial project (27%), and living an international lifestyle (27%). The main challenges cited were anxiety about re-entering the job market (34%), family obligations (33%) and healthcare benefit concerns (33%).
Most UAE respondents intend to fund their mini retirements through personal savings (40%), investment returns (39%), and rental income (37%).
Commenting on the UAE results, Dinesh Sharma, HSBC’s Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking (IWPB) for Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye, said: “It is interesting to see how attitudes towards retirement are evolving in the UAE. The increasing confidence people demonstrate in considering and planning for multi retirements – and their appetite for multiple, intentional career breaks – demonstrates a more dynamic and rewarding vision of what retirement can be.”
Dr Cora Pettipas, HSBC’s Financial Planner and Retirement Specialist, added: “Multi retirements are a mindset shift, with some individuals increasingly taking time out to focus on living their wealth, not just accumulating it. They aren’t viewing it as stopping work or their careers, rather, taking new directions that feel more aligned to their values and needs of their families.”
