The UAE will need to add 1.03 million workers by 2030, driven by economic growth and digital transformation requirements, according to the Workforce Skills Forecast 2025 report from ServiceNow.
The 12.1 per cent increase in the workforce represents one of the highest percentage increases among markets studied, compared to growth in the United States (2.1 per cent), the United Kingdom (2.8 per cent), and India (10.6 per cent).
The report, conducted in collaboration with Pearson, found that manufacturing, education, and retail sectors will drive the expansion, adding 133,000, 78,000, and 60,000 jobs respectively. Finance and healthcare are expected to add more than 40,000 and 39,000 roles.
UAE job market 2030: Manufacturing, Education and Retail lead growth
When comparing growth rates, the energy and utilities sector is set to expand by 33 per cent, followed by education (31 per cent) and manufacturing (18 per cent).
ServiceNow examined the impact of agentic AI on workforce dynamics and found that efficiency gains driven by the technology will be outweighed by the need for talent.
In financial services, while agentic AI could do work equivalent to that of 17,000 full-time employees (6.6 per cent of the workforce), the report projects a 26 per cent increase in jobs driven by economic growth and the need for employees who can enable technology.
“What we are seeing in the UAE, as well as in nearly every other country surveyed, is that AI augmentation will be central to capturing the next wave of economic growth,” said William O’Neill, area VP and general manager for GCC at ServiceNow. “The future of work depends on collaboration between people and AI, and it’s a future that’s hiring now. The organisations that win the race for top talent will be those that redesign roles and invest in upskilling to meet the demands of this new era.”
The report highlights that demand for upskilling will be pronounced in the technology sector. Whilst the UAE’s workforce is expected to grow by 12.1 per cent, demand for technology professionals will reach 54 per cent.
Tech roles currently make up 169,000 of the UAE’s 8.5 million jobs. By 2030, organisations will require more than 91,000 technology specialists.
Search marketing strategists are expected to see 5,600 positions, followed by computer programmers with 4,200 roles and computer systems analysts with 2,700.
To address the skills gap, ServiceNow launched ServiceNow University in May, a learning platform designed to develop capabilities for an AI-driven world.
UAE skills gap: Tech roles growing four times faster than overall workforce
“What we are seeing in the UAE, as well as in nearly every other country surveyed, is that AI augmentation will be central to capturing the next wave of economic growth. The future of work depends on collaboration between people and AI, and it’s a future that’s hiring now. The organisations that win the race for top talent will be those that redesign roles and invest in upskilling to meet the demands of this new era,” William O’Neill, area VP & general manager – GCC at ServiceNow said in a statement.
The Workforce Skills Forecast 2025 draws on Pearson’s dataset of 5,600 jobs across ten countries. Using AI, researchers examined the impact of 34 technologies expected to shape work over the next five years, covering industries such as healthcare, retail, financial services, and manufacturing.
The analysis uses Pearson’s ontology of roles and skills, which leverages machine learning algorithms to scan labour market data, including job boards, census information, and other sources.
The ontology is updated using insights from more than 10 million job advertisements processed each month.
“To get ahead of labour shortfalls and win the future of work, organisations must build an inclusive future for workers. The roadmap is clear: deploy AI thoughtfully, establish strong governance frameworks to manage risks, and invest ambitiously in upskilling programmes that prepare employees for an AI-augmented world. This three-pronged approach will help create workforces that are more resilient, innovative, and fulfilled,” O’Neill added.
