Being from that part of the world let me clarify this misconception people on reddit have about Dubai:

1- class distribution in the UAE:

Like any country in the world, the UAE has an elite class of citizens, mainly comprised of royalty and a few ultra rich nationals and expatriates. They also have a middle class, comprised with most of the nationals and most expatriates. The lowest class or poor people, are mostly uneducated south Asians who work in manual labor. Low class uneducated nationals get a lot of benefits and do not need to work in manual labor.

2- Less than 20% of the population of the UAE are nationals. This allows the country to provide its citizens with the best benefits and welfare. Emiratis are considered wealthy on average for this reason.

3- The rest of the population are expatriates - meaning they hold other nationalities - this section of the population is mostly represented by the poor class to upper middle class. They do not get the benefits nationals get from the government, just like many other countries don't give expatriates full benefits from the state. Nevertheless, their incomes are not taxed, and receive health insurance and retirement plans as required by law from employers. Expats are sometimes also covered by their employers for housing and education.

4- the lowest class, as I mentioned above, are mostly the south-eastern Asians. They are usually not educated, do not speak Arabic or English, and not suited for other jobs. With the demographic of dubai being the way it is, no one else will take jobs thus this class of the population dominate the 'dirty jobs' .

There is simply no need for an educated person to work in manual labor in Dubai. And this is where the idea of second class citizen is from. The fact is, there are two few Emiratis and too many expats for the Emiratis to be the only upper class. If you have money you can do anything - just like anywhere in the world.