Job opportunities in the UAE are expected to increase over the next year, mainly due to business growth and clarity following the recent US and Indian elections. According to Robert Half’s 2025 Salary Guide, 63 percent of Emirati business leaders expect to increase their headcount in the next year, with half saying the need for additional employees is driven by business growth.
This increase indicates that the pace of business in the Emirati market is accelerating and business leaders see the need for more resources and staff in the future to accelerate the growth of their companies. These signals indicate that the economy is stabilizing and more investment is expected from business leaders, which will provide new employment opportunities.
Impact of Elections and Interest Rates on Hiring Decisions
Over the past year, many businesses have halted their recruitment process due to the uncertainty surrounding the election results. The report found that a third of business leaders delayed their staffing decisions until the election results were clear. Similarly, 32 percent of business leaders mentioned that they are waiting for interest rates to stabilize before they can decide to increase their number of employees.
This situation reflects that business decisions are strongly influenced by economic and political conditions, and many organizations delay their planning until global and local conditions are clear. In addition, fluctuations in interest rates also affect business decisions, especially when companies need financial resources or are analyzing the financial viability of hiring new employees.
Challenges and Opportunities in Talent Retention
Despite high inflation and a competitive job market, nearly 67 percent of business leaders expressed confidence in their organization’s growth prospects for 2025. Although it is relatively easy to find candidates now compared to last year, many newcomers do not have the local experience that companies need. As a result, retaining existing talent remains a top priority for businesses.
This situation shows that although business leaders are hopeful for growth in the coming year, they are also aware that new hires may have to quickly acclimate to their environment due to their lack of local market experience. It can be difficult to adapt. Therefore, organizations are trying to retain their existing workers so that they can meet the needs of the company in terms of experience and expertise and contribute to the growth of the business.
Rising Living Costs and Increased Job Switching
However, 47 percent of business leaders complained that they were having trouble finding candidates with the skills they needed. At the same time, 65 percent of employees intend to look for new job opportunities by the end of 2025, mainly due to rising living costs. Against this backdrop, 34 percent of workers believe that they need higher salaries to meet their financial burden.
These figures show that rising inflation and rising costs of necessities of life are putting workers under financial pressure, which is why they are looking for better financial opportunities. Business leaders are challenged to attract talented individuals to their organizations as well as to retain existing employees by providing them with appropriate compensation and incentives so that their loyalty and performance do not decrease.
The report found that three-quarters of participants believe that negotiating a salary increase is now more difficult than last year.
Potential Risks of Ignoring Employee Needs
If today’s business leaders ignore the needs of their current workforce, they risk losing valuable talent when market conditions improve, warns Robert Half’s Middle East director, Gareth Elmatori.
This highlights the fact that if companies do not maintain proper relations with their existing staff and provide them with adequate wages and benefits, they may not only lose good employees but also when opportunities in the market arise. , so they will not be able to attract new talent either.
Elmatori also emphasized that while the influx of expatriates may facilitate the recruitment process, businesses need to be cautious about its potential impact on employee satisfaction and productivity. To attract skilled candidates already in the UAE, it will be important to offer competitive salaries and compensation, especially for positions that require specific skills such as Arabic language skills or local knowledge, he said. Experience is required.
This indicates that if companies do not take adequate measures to meet the needs and expectations of their employees, not only will they fail to attract good candidates, but the performance and satisfaction of existing staff will also decrease. can come Businesses therefore need to improve their offerings by taking into account the importance of local skills in their recruitment strategy.
