Companies in the United Arab Emirates are planning to hire freelancers from other countries in order to drastically cut down costs of doing business.

According to a recent reports, UAE companies are planning to target freelancers from Asia, Middle East and South Africa. They will be paid upto 75% less than what full-time employees make at the same company.

“There’re a lot of companies out there that will actually help you set up an entire remote working team in places where salaries are less than the UAE and train them,” said Nicki Wilson, of recruitment consultancy Genie. “Most companies might consider this model as a cheaper alternative in the long run.”

The fields that could hire freelancers include sales leads, technology, data and performance marketing.

Customer service, consultancy, marketing and communication, creative design, software engineer or data analyst, recruitment and back office administration can have remote employees as well.

However, in some cases the employees could be paid even more than in-house staff depending on the expertise.

“If the role is niche, strategic, demands a high level of expertise and technical skills, these individuals are paid even higher than the non-remote employee,” Mayank Patel, country head of HR firm Adecco Middle East told Khaleej Times.

The UAE also gives the option of remote work visas to people wishing to find work.

Currently, the exchange rate for AED to PKR is Rs76.07.