How does it feel to work for the richest country in the world?

Qatar's GDP per capita (i.e. the country's total income divided by its population) has reached $62,914, with growth of 24.2 percent in 2007 according to this report in the Peninsula. Just to compare, the average GDP of the whole world in 2006 was approximately $10,000, with growth of 5.1% in 2006, while America enjoyed a GDP per person of $43,500.

Actually, it's not quite the richest country in the world. It's lagging just behind Bermuda (with a GDP of $69,900 in 2004) and Luxemburg ($68,800 in 2006). But, as we've argued before, the real wealth of Qataris is far greater than suggested by these figures, as the majority of the population consists of expatriate workers who share little of the economic pie. These labourers are often employed on as little as 600 riyals a month, or a yearly income of just under 2,000 dollars a year. Admittedly, some highly skilled expatriate workers earn a salary far in excess of 60,000 dollars. However, these do form a distinct minority.

Qatar's success has much to with its oil, and in the future will have much to do with its gas. It's not entirely luck, though. In contrast to many other oil and gas rich countries, Qatar has provided a stable political environment and is investing heavily in its infrastructure. They're also very good at negotiating with oil companies, and receive extremely good royalties. The (financial) future looks good too: the country is investing heavily in the world economy, and is even considering buying Sainsbury's, the British supermarket giant. Its stated aim is to be able to function independent of oil revenues in the future.

So I come back to my original question. How does it feel to work for the richest country in the world? And do you feel well rewarded for your own personal efforts in making Qatar the richest country in the world?

(Figures in this post have been taken from the CIA world factbook.)

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Qatar Doha Middle East economy GDP 2007