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.
