Thursday, November 12, 2026

Hiring in UAE up 16% since April: Naukrigulf Hiring Index

 


Manufacturing, Healthcare, Real Estate jobs lead the recovery


Hiring in the UAE has picked up steadily over the past six months, according to the second edition of the Naukrigulf Hiring Index. The Index rose from 1,007 in April to 1,167 in September, an increase of 16%.


The Index tracks more than 200,000 hiring mandates a year from over 7,000 employers in the UAE, Qatar and Oman.


Hiring rose in 14 of 15 major industries


Between April and September, hiring increased across 14 of the 15 major industries in the UAE. Manufacturing & Industrial recorded the highest growth at 32%, bringing hiring levels to just 2% below last year. Healthcare and Pharma followed with a 26% rise each, while Retail, FMCG & Consumer grew 17%. Real Estate & Construction, which accounts for nearly a quarter of all hiring in the UAE, also recorded a 20% increase.


Hospitality, Travel & Entertainment (up 63%) and Automotive & Transport (up 65%) grew the fastest, though both started from low levels in April. IT & Digital hiring stayed about the same through the six months and is 8% lower than last year. BFSI was the only major industry where hiring fell between April and September.


Engineering jobs lead


Core Engineering, the largest job function with about a third of all UAE hiring, rose 16% since April. Hiring for these roles is now at the same level as last year. Operations roles rose 28%. Sales & Marketing rose 21% since April, though it is still 21% lower than last year.


Hiring growth strongest for jobs paying up to AED 10,000


Jobs paying up to AED 10,000 a month, the largest share of hiring, rose 24% since April. Jobs paying AED 10,000–20,000 rose 7%, and those paying AED 20,000–30,000 rose 10%. Hiring for jobs paying more than AED 30,000 is lower than in April.


Hiring becomes more diverse across nationalities


Jobs with no nationality preference rose 20% since April. They now make up about 56% of all UAE hiring, up from 54% a year ago. Jobs preferring South Asian candidates rose 27% and are only 2% lower than last year.


Commenting on the findings, Sharad Sindhwani, EVP, Business & Product Head, Naukrigulf, said, “Hiring in the Gulf is clearly picking up. Over the past six months, UAE hiring has risen steadily since May, led by engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and real estate. Hiring is still lower than last year, though the gap is closing fast, and jobs paying up to AED 10,000 a month, which account for the largest share of hiring, are recovering the quickest.”


Check out the full report for UAE, Qatar, Oman


Methodology


The Naukrigulf Hiring Index uses a consistent methodology to track changes in hiring demand across the UAE, Qatar and Oman over time. It measures employer hiring intent through two signals of employer activity: outbound hiring through new job postings and applicant review activity, and inbound hiring through employer searches of its candidate database. The Index is calculated monthly from January 2024, with findings published quarterly starting with this issue.


About Naukrigulf


Naukrigulf is a premier online job site connecting employers with top-tier talent and supporting professionals across their career journeys. Since its launch in 2006, the platform has grown into one of the region’s most trusted hiring partners, serving more than 10,000 employers and over 17 million professionals. Employer solutions include resume database access, job postings, employer branding solutions and AI-powered recruitment solutions.



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Contacts

Alekhya Chakrabarty


Alekhya.chakrabarty@naukri.com


Sohini Ganguly


Sohini.ganguly@naukri.com

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