The UAE job market is an “ever dynamic industry” said Arda Atalay, Head of MENA Private Sector LinkedIn Talent Solutions in exclusive insights shared with Arabian Business.
Six of ten jobs are now digitally focused resulting in an increasing demand for advanced skills such as machine learning and programming languages.
“In a continuously evolving workplace where technological advances and AI continue to hold centre stage in UAE’s agenda, skills such as big data, network security and machine Llearning are also some of the fastest growing skills,” Ataly explained.
The LinkedIn data revealed that Arabic ranked among the top five skills in demand for undergraduates in the UAE with 23,566 job postings between January 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023 requiring that skill for positions in sales or real estate.
UAE’s top five fastest growing jobs and skills needed
| Fastest-growing roles* | Skills required |
|---|---|
| Content Coordinator | Adobe Premier Pro, Digital Marketing, Web Content Writing |
| Back End Developer | Back-End Development, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python (Programming Language) |
| Data Scientist | Python (programming language), Predictive Modeling, R (programming language), Data Science |
| Business Development Associate | Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Communication, Marketing Strategy, Team Management |
| E-Commerce Coodinator | E-commerce, Digital Marketing, Seach Engine Optimisation (SEO) |
With technology being implemented into job roles as the world advances into the age of AI, data literacy and the ability to work with advancements such as generative AI also “has the potential to augment human performance and assist recruiters.”
“Even if you aren’t changing jobs, your job is changing on you,” Ataly explained. The skill sets for jobs have changed by around 25 percent since 2015 (27 percent in UAE), LinkedIn data revealed.
The recruitment industry is continuously evolving however, Justin Kent, Managing Director, Hawksby believes that although the industry has changed there are some aspects that remain constant.
“The history of the CV goes back to 1482 with Leonardo da Vinci. He is purported to be the first person to have written a professional resume in his attempt to find work with the Duke of Milan. While the world has changed dramatically in those 500 years, sending CVs to employers hasn’t changed one bit,” Kent said.
Not only has the evolving industry impacted job seekers, the constant change has also impacted recruiters, “20 years ago, talent was hard to access, and the value of recruitment was in having a relevant candidate network. Recruitment consultants developed their little black books or rolodexes through hard graft, and once that network was established, employers would pay handsomely to access it,” Kent explained that the launch of LinkedIn in 2003 has since made those networks public and accessible.
LinkedIn now holds a user base of 930 million members globally provides consultants with access to candidates with the ability to direct job searches through specific skills and qualifications making the process “more efficient.”
“The launch of LinkedIn 20 years ago has without question transformed the recruitment industry and the role of the recruitment consultant,” Kent concluded.
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