Revealed: Dubai's hottest and coolest jobs – literally

Don't feel like going to work because of the hot weather? You may take comfort in knowing that people have far more challenging jobs in these stifling conditions.

Hot jobs

1. Foundry worker

At the top of our list jobs is the foundry. It’s not hard to understand why. The average temperature in a foundry hover around 100°C even after the facility shuts down. “Our workers wear specialised aluminised clothing to protect themselves when they carry out periodical maintenance in a foundry, but they cannot remain inside for more than 10-15 minutes because of the intense heat,” says Rafi Humayun of Sharjah-headquartered Al Karawan Refractories.

“Foundries have an extremely hot work environment because of the furnaces and molten metal. We are talking about temperatures exceeding 660°C. That’s the melting point of aluminium,” he adds.

2. Tandoori roti maker

Got issues with faulty air conditioning at office? Try being a tandoori roti maker. They spend anywhere between 8 and 10 hours sitting next to a 500°C oven every day, often inches away from flames. The bakers in Dubai are largely from Pakistan and Afghanistan. Their job requires them to slap kneaded dough in the inner walls of the blazing tandoor with bare hands and then using iron rods to expertly tug the bread from the oven walls and plop it in the waiting hands of customers. Imagine doing that all day without any air conditioning or protective clothing.

3. Delivery rider

Delivery bike riders endure not just hot-headed bosses and customers but also hot and humid weather as they race against time to deliver our orders. Their thick protective gear makes their job even more challenging. Some delivery companies have come up with cooling vests that lower the body temperature by up to 15°C, but a large majority has no such relief.

Delivery riders are not eligible for the mandatory midday break for outdoor workers, and only a few receive an hour-long time out from their employers.

4. Gas station attendant

Fourth on the list are gas station attendants. Unlike construction workers, they are exempt from the UAE’s mid-day break rule, which prohibits any outdoor labour work between 12.30pm and 3 pm from June 15 to September 15. “It gets tough, especially during peak hour. The heat emitted by cars and the exhaust fumes make things worse,” said a fuel attendant.

And now for some cold careers

Despite the blast furnace desert heat, some people in Dubai wear winter jackets and gloves at work because of the nature of their job. Here are our top picks.

1. Chillout Ice Lounge staff

• India: Here's why all clocks run backwards in this village