Hiring in the UAE has risen 16 per cent since April, with jobs paying up to Dh10,000 a month, the largest share of recruitment, growing fastest at 24 per cent, according to the second edition of the Naukrigulf Hiring Index.
The Index climbed from 1,007 in April to 1,167 in September. It tracks more than 200,000 hiring mandates a year from over 7,000 employers in the UAE, Qatar and Oman.
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Sharad Sindhwani, EVP, business and product head at Naukrigulf, said hiring in the Gulf is “clearly picking up”, led by engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and real estate. “Hiring is still lower than last year, though the gap is closing fast,” he said.
Hiring growth was strongest at the lower end of the salary scale. Jobs paying up to Dh10,000 a month rose 24 per cent since April. Roles paying Dh10,000-20,000 rose 7 per cent, and those paying Dh20,000-30,000 rose 10 per cent. Hiring for jobs paying more than Dh30,000 is lower than in April.
The Naukrigulf Hiring Index measures employer hiring intent through two signals. Outbound hiring covers new job postings and applicant review activity, while inbound hiring covers employer searches of the candidate database.
The regional conflict, which started on February 28, had created uncertainty across the Gulf job markets, with businesses reassessing hiring plans, investment decisions and operational costs. Sectors such as tourism, hospitality, aviation, logistics and retail are particularly exposed to disruptions in travel, trade and consumer confidence.
However, the UAE’s diversified economy, strong infrastructure and continued investment in technology, finance and other non-oil sectors could help cushion the impact.
Recent recruitment trends suggest the impact has been uneven rather than a region-wide employment downturn.
UAE hiring rebounded by 4 per cent in the third quarter of 2026, while GCC hiring increased by 2 per cent, according to Cooper Fitch data. However, employers remain selective, prioritising critical skills and specialist positions over broad workforce expansion.
Hiring up in 14 of 15 industries
Between April and September, hiring increased in 14 of the 15 major industries. Manufacturing and industrial recorded the highest growth among the larger sectors at 32 per cent, bringing hiring to just 2 per cent below last year’s level.
Healthcare and pharma each rose 26 per cent, while Retail, FMCG and consumer grew 17 per cent. Real estate and construction, which accounts for nearly a quarter of all UAE hiring, rose 20 per cent.
Hospitality, travel and entertainment (up 63 per cent) and automotive and transport (up 65 per cent) grew the fastest, though both started from low levels in April. IT and digital hiring stayed broadly flat over the six months and is 8 per cent lower than last year. Banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) was the only major industry where hiring fell.
Engineering and operations roles lead
Core engineering, the largest job function with about a third of all UAE hiring, rose 16 per cent since April and is now level with last year. Operations roles rose 28 per cent. Sales and marketing rose 21 per cent, though it remains 21 per cent below last year.
Jobs with no nationality preference rose 20 per cent since April. They now make up about 56 per cent of all UAE hiring, up from 54 per cent a year ago. Jobs preferring South Asian candidates rose 27 per cent and are only 2 per cent lower than last year.
Source: Khaleej Times