let’s put it that way - and yes you are right
but considering the fact that a Emirati would never throw a brick to build a house or definitely would not start digging a drain, there is no way of having a functioning country based on locals. The current scale of Dubai is just because the want to attract to live there for whatever reason. On a smaller scale for e.g. a size of a village the 12% of Emirati are more than enough, but being born to lead requires something to lead and that’s where all the expat come into the game.
And no the country has proofen, that a pilot is at the very base not worth more than any Indian construction Labour, only better payed and attracted by better benefits, but that does not describe the value which is as zero than any other worker, proofed by the fact how fast they where gone once not needed
Again STC made a remarkable statement to the value of a pilot “ungainfully employed” we will get rid of.