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A new report from LinkedIn produced in partnership with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade has found that the country achieved one of the strongest post-pandemic hiring recoveries among global markets last year. Hiring activity stayed above 2019 levels for the entirety of 2025, the analysis of workforce data indicated. Key industries such as real estate posted the largest increases compared with pre-pandemic benchmarks while education, construction, healthcare, administrative and support services as well as transport and logistics all recorded above-average performance.
The assessment breaks down the composition of LinkedIn members in the UAE with professional services making up 14.5 percent, manufacturing 12 percent and accommodation plus hospitality 9.2 percent. Operations functions accounted for 21.4 percent of members, sales 11 percent and business development 9.1 percent. The UAE also ranked first in the world for net talent migration, confirming its appeal to skilled professionals internationally, the report showed.
Skills development emerged as another area of strength with the country claiming the top global spot in FinTech capabilities and second place in AI talent concentration relative to its population size, according to the LinkedIn study. It secured 10th position for business-related skills and 11th for personal and behavioural attributes. These outcomes reflect the depth of digital economy integration across tech, media, professional services and manufacturing sectors, the document noted.
Demographic trends in the labour force reveal a predominantly young population in which Millennials and Gen Z dominate multiple industries including hospitality, retail and healthcare. Female leadership rose from 18.8 percent in 2015 to 21.9 percent in 2025 with the education field leading followed by healthcare and entertainment, LinkedIn data placed. The sixth edition of the UAE Economic Graph Report builds on a long-standing collaboration under the National Strategy for Attracting and Retaining Talent.
HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, stated, “Talent and competencies are a key pillar of the success of our economic policies and we will continue to develop this ecosystem through an integrated strategy in which human capital is the main driver of growth and innovation.” The minister’s remarks appeared in the report that draws on comprehensive LinkedIn workforce data to deliver policy insights. Al Zeyoudi oversees efforts to attract and retain talent as a central element of national economic planning.
Signs of a 2026 rebound have begun to appear with June data indicating improvements in both hiring rates and talent flows after a period of regional volatility, the LinkedIn analysis found. Ali Matar, head of LinkedIn for MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets, said, “After a period of volatility in the first half of the year, we are seeing impressive signs of recovery in hiring and talent flows. We at LinkedIn are proud to partner with the Ministry of Foreign Trade to provide timely insights that support evidence-based policymaking.” The partnership has produced successive editions of the report since the strategy launch.
