UAE hiring eases 23% as tech holds firm and AI demand grows

Hiring across the UAE eased 23% year-on-year in April and May 2026. The Naukrigulf Hiring Index stood at 1,007 in April before easing to 896 in May, against an April–May 2025 average of 1,231.

It is the number everyone will quote, and also the least useful one on its own. An average flattens a market that cooled very unevenly, and both jobseekers and employers need the detail underneath it.

Technology was the clear exception

IT roles eased just 3% year-on-year, the most resilient function in the market. Within tech, AI, machine learning and data roles grew roughly 20%, with cybersecurity and data engineering among the strongest areas of demand. IT and Digital was also the steadiest industry overall, down only 6% while others fell much further.

Sharad Sindhwani, EVP, Business and Product Head at Naukrigulf, put it plainly in the report: "Technology roles were an exception, holding close to flat while the market softened around them. Core Technical hiring held up better than the rest."

The market protected its builders

The pattern beneath the headline is a deliberate one. Core Engineering, the single largest function, held better than most at 16% down. The functions around it were cut hardest: Sales and Marketing fell 42%, with HR and Finance both down 34%. UAE employers trimmed overhead and kept the people who build and ship.

Depth cushioned the fall

The slowdown pressed hardest on the volume end of the pay scale, where roles paying up to AED 10K a month fell 26%. Resilience improved steadily up the ladder, with the top of the pay scale easing only around 11%, roughly half the decline at the bottom. The more senior and specialised the role, the steadier the demand.

Most roles never asked where you are from

About 68% of UAE mandates stated no nationality preference at all. The single largest category in UAE hiring is not a sector or a title. It is openness.

What it means

For jobseekers: aim where demand held, build one skill with real depth in AI or data, and apply more widely than feels comfortable. For employers: move fast on technology and specialist mandates where competition stayed hot, take a more measured approach on high-volume roles where leverage has shifted, and review preference criteria on every requisition, because an unnecessary filter is simply a shorter shortlist.

A slower market is not a closed one. It is a choosier one, and the Index shows exactly where it chose to keep spending.

Read the Complete Hiring Index Report → Naukrigulf UAE Hiring Index Report April - May 2026