DUBAI, UAE – The UAE’s Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has reported a significant increase in the number of Emiratis working in the private sector in the first quarter of 2023.
According to the Ministry, more than 10,500 Emiratis have joined the private sector since the beginning of the year, bringing the total number of Emiratis working in the private sector to over 66,000.
The Ministry also reported that over 16,000 businesses in the UAE currently employ UAE nationals, with more than 2,000 of them hiring Emiratis since the beginning of 2023.
The number of private sector businesses employing Emiratis rose by 13 percent in Q1 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
The Ministry’s findings also revealed that the five industries that employed the most Emiratis in the first quarter of 2023 saw significant increases compared to the same period in 2022. The most significant increase was in the field of business services.
In addition, over 5,000 Emiratis took advantage of career guidance services in the first quarter of 2023. This increase in employment opportunities and career guidance services is a positive sign for the UAE’s economy and job market.
The Ministry’s efforts to boost Emiratis’ employment in the private sector have yielded promising results, and it is expected to further strengthen the UAE’s workforce in the coming months.
Salary increase
A survey conducted by Cooper Fitch, focusing on employment activity and salary trends during 2023 and conducted on business leaders and officials in more than 300 companies in the GCC, indicated that 57 percent of the companies surveyed expected an increase in salaries during the year 2023. The research showed that 49 percent of these companies raised salaries in 2022.
Cooper Fitch explains that 2021 represented a post-COVID-19 recovery period for the UAE, and 2022 was a year of growth in multiple sectors, leading to increased employment activity levels.
While the tourism and aviation sectors were among the most prominent gainers during the last period, Cooper Fitch explains that the popularity of the UAE as a preferred destination for tourism strengthened the two sectors, as Dubai received more than 10 million international visitors between January and September 2022.
The agency stresses that the job market in the UAE witnessed its strongest year in a decade, and it is expected that 2023 will be the year in which this momentum will continue.
According to company data, the third quarter of 2022 saw an increase of 3 percent in recruitment activity within the UAE, which is expected to continue in 2023.
Earlier, local media reports suggested that expectations regarding an increase in employee salaries in the UAE during 2023 are positive.
Employment experts also expect an average increase of between 2 percent and 5 percent. This varies according to the employee’s role in the company and the sector in which they work.