UAE (Washington Insider) - The UAE workforce is set to grow 12.1% by 2030, outpacing the US (2.1%), UK (2.8%), and India (10.6%), driven by manufacturing, education, retail, and technology roles.
As Kay-Lyne Wolfenden on TechAfrics News reported, the United Arab Emirates is set to add more than 1 million workers by 2030, according to a new report from ServiceNow, prepared in collaboration with Pearson.
The Workforce Skills Forecast 2025 predicts that the UAE workforce will need to grow by 12.1% over the next decade. For comparison, the United States is expected to grow by 2.1%, the United Kingdom by 2.8%, and India by 10.6%.
The report shows that manufacturing, education, and retail will create the most jobs, contributing about 133,000, 78,000, and 60,000 positions, respectively. Other key industries, such as finance and healthcare, will also see strong growth, with more than 40,000 and 39,000 roles expected to be added.
What UAE sectors will drive workforce growth and AI job demand by 2030?
The forecast also highlights which sectors will grow fastest. Energy and utilities are expected to expand by 33%. Education is set to grow by 31%, while manufacturing will rise by 18%. The report points to a clear shift in the UAE labour market. Experts say the country must focus on training, skills development, and workforce planning to meet the demand.
The rise of agentic artificial intelligence is expected to boost efficiency in the financial services sector, potentially replacing the work of 17,000 full-time employees. However, experts say this will not reduce the need for human talent. The workforce in the sector is projected to grow by 26%, driven by economic expansion and new technology demands.
William O'Neill, Area VP and General Manager - GCC at Service Now, emphasised that
"AI augmentation will be central to capturing the next wave of economic growth... The future of work depends on collaboration between people and Al, and it's a future that's hiring now."
To tackle the skills gap, ServiceNow launched ServiceNow University in early this year, which is a learning platform aimed at helping people prepare for jobs in an AI economy. According to the report, technology jobs will be the fastest-growing industry, with a forecasted demand increase of 54%, resulting in the addition of over 91,000 new technology job openings by 2030.
Many of the most sought-after occupations are search marketing strategist (5,600 job openings), computer programmer (4,200 job openings) and computer systems analyst (2,700 job openings). ServiceNow's David O'Neill stressed the importance of inclusive workforce planning, AI governance and upskilling for businesses.