Sonam Haider, global mobility strategist and founder of Aethra Advisory, said UAE companies are struggling to fill specialized roles in artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud architecture, which is prompting them to move towards long-term onboarding strategies rather than hiring at the drop of a hat.
Haider said about 80% of companies expect to maintain or increase hiring in the second half of 2026. Khaleej TimesHowever, the nature of these hires has changed significantly, with companies now focusing on building capabilities rather than simply filling vacancies.
He said roles related to national priorities and digital transformation challenges attract the most sustained long-term investment.
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Engineering and infrastructure talent, particularly for large-scale construction and development projects related to initiatives such as Dubai’s D33 project, continues to be actively recruited across a multi-year pipeline. Similar trends are being seen in financial services, technology and professional services, driven by the expansion of regional headquarters and growth in fintech and wealth management activities across the UAE.
The most difficult roles are not entry-level or temporary positions, but specialized technical positions such as AI and machine learning engineers, cloud architects, and certified DevOps engineers.
Heider says that because market supply cannot meet demand at the scale needed, companies competing for this talent are building structured offers, outplacement support and long-term career frameworks alongside internal talent development pipelines.
He said his outlook for the market was cautiously optimistic, citing a 21% increase in new business licenses in Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2026, a reliable leading indicator of near-term employment demand.
He said government investment is expected to boost downstream private sector activity from the second half of 2026 to 2027, and companies that build workforce architectures are well-positioned for a more pronounced recovery expected in 2027.
Remote onboarding is on the rise
Haider said some companies, faced with the logistical and regulatory complexities of recruiting new employees to the UAE during a period of instability in the region, chose to restructure onboarding schedules rather than cancel offers.
A delayed start date allows employees to start work one to three months later than planned, giving the company time to complete visa processing, accommodation, and operational preparations. A more advanced arrangement, temporary onboarding outside the region, involves employees formally commencing employment while remaining based in their home country, through a registered employer scheme or temporary payroll arrangement, and then relocating to the UAE once the infrastructure is ready.
What started as a workaround in times of disruption has become a deliberate strategy for a growing number of companies, Haider said, noting that the UAE’s wide range of employment models, including full-time, part-time, temporary and flexible work permits, gives companies the structural agility to formalize such arrangements as talent retention tools.
Why does the talent gap persist?
Haider said the shortage was not due to the general pipeline of IT graduates, which remains strong in Asia, Europe and the wider region, but to the depth of applied and specialized experience required for these roles.
Employers in the UAE are competing for a relatively small pool of global professionals sought by companies in San Francisco, London, Singapore and Toronto. Employers in the UAE offer real advantages in terms of lifestyle, tax policy and project quality, but remuneration packages in the world’s leading technology hubs remain highly competitive, with many top practitioners already employed and not actively looking for new roles.
Haider noted that the pace of technology transformation is further compressing workforce planning timelines, with more than 80% of companies worldwide expecting technology to fundamentally reshape their operations by the end of 2020.
A new talent pathway emerges
Haider said that while South Asia, particularly India, remains the cornerstone of the UAE’s talent pool, employers are diversifying their sourcing strategies to access specialist skills and reduce concentration risks.
Eastern Europe, including Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, is a rich source of technical talent for engineering, software architecture, and cybersecurity roles. Sub-Saharan African markets such as Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria are also being highlighted as growing developer and data science communities, while the Philippines and Vietnam are increasingly relevant for roles that combine technical skills with strong English language proficiency.
Beyond geography, companies are also shifting their hiring models, leveraging offshore teams and gig-based talent not as a cost-cutting measure but as an intentional talent tier alongside their permanent workforce in the UAE, Haider said.
He added that the UK-UAE Free Trade Agreement is expected to deepen cross-border investment and professional mobility in financial services, technology and professional services, creating more structured pathways for UK-based talent to work in both markets.
