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What To Know
- The findings frame the UAE’s tech and AI push as a long-term driver of employment growth and workforce opportunity through the decade ahead.
- The UAE is entering the years ahead with a clear workforce outlook shaped by economic growth and a strong focus on digitisation.
- The forecast links this workforce demand to the UAE’s continued push to digitise services and expand the use of advanced technologies across the economy.
Forecast shows UAE tech jobs 2030 driving demand for 1.03 million workers
The UAE is entering the years ahead with a clear workforce outlook shaped by economic growth and a strong focus on digitisation. A new skills forecast projects the country will need to add 1.03 million workers by 2030, with technology and AI-related roles playing a central role in that expansion.
The forecast links this workforce demand to the UAE’s continued push to digitise services and expand the use of advanced technologies across the economy. Job creation tied to this shift extends into manufacturing, education, and retail, alongside continued hiring in finance, health care, energy, and utilities. Together, these sectors form the foundation of the projected workforce growth through the end of the decade.
Workforce growth that leads among global markets
The forecast points to a 12.1 per cent increase in the UAE’s human workforce by 2030, marking one of the strongest growth rates among the countries studied. The analysis covers ten markets in total, including Saudi Arabia, India, Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, Germany, and Japan.
Technology roles at the center of hiring demand
Technology positions account for a significant share of the projected workforce increase. By 2030, organisations in the UAE are expected to require more than 91,000 additional technology specialists.
The forecast also identifies continued demand for roles linked to search marketing strategy, programming, and computer systems analysis. These positions support the broader digitisation of services and operations, reinforcing the role of technology skills throughout the economy.
Digitisation supporting growth across sectors
Beyond core technology hiring, the forecast highlights job creation connected to digital transformation in manufacturing processes, education delivery, and retail operations. As digital tools become standard in these areas, workforce demand follows.
Finance, health care, energy, and utilities also feature prominently in the outlook, reflecting sustained hiring needs as digital capabilities expand within these sectors. The forecast presents this growth as part of a wider economic trajectory supported by technology adoption.
Investment and infrastructure shaping the outlook
The workforce forecast aligns with the UAE’s wider focus on artificial intelligence research, start-ups, partnerships, and major technology investments. This includes collaboration with global technology companies such as Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI.
It also includes a joint US-UAE initiative to develop an AI campus in Abu Dhabi, which will feature 5GW of capacity for AI data centres. These efforts contribute to the environment underpinning the projected demand for skilled workers through 2030.
The forecast presents a clear picture of workforce expansion tied to economic growth and digitisation in the UAE. With 1.03 million additional workers projected by 2030, strong demand for technology specialists, and sustained hiring across multiple sectors, the outlook positions skills development and recruitment as ongoing priorities. The findings frame the UAE’s tech and AI push as a long-term driver of employment growth and workforce opportunity through the decade ahead.
