ServiceNow Forecast: UAE Workforce to Grow 12% Driven by Digital Transformation
This represents a 12.1% increase in the workforce, one of the highest among major global markets, compared with the United States (2.1%), the United Kingdom (2.8%), and India (10.6%).
A new Workforce Skills Forecast 2025 report by ServiceNow, the AI control tower for business reinvention, projects that the UAE will need to add 1.03 million workers by 2030, driven largely by economic growth and technology roles supporting digital transformation. This represents a 12.1% increase in the workforce, one of the highest among major global markets, compared with the United States (2.1%), the United Kingdom (2.8%), and India (10.6%).
The study, conducted in collaboration with Pearson, highlights that the manufacturing, education, and retail sectors will be major contributors, adding approximately 133,000, 78,000, and 60,000 new jobs, respectively. Key industries including finance and healthcare are also expected to add over 40,000 and 39,000 roles. In terms of relative growth, energy and utilities will expand the fastest at 33%, followed by education (31%) and manufacturing (18%).
While agentic AI is expected to drive efficiency—equivalent to 17,000 full-time employees in the financial services sector—it will not offset the demand for human talent. In fact, workforce growth driven by economic expansion and emerging technology needs is projected at 26%, highlighting the importance of human-AI collaboration. William O’Neill, Area VP and General Manager – GCC at ServiceNow, emphasized that “AI augmentation will be central to capturing the next wave of economic growth… The future of work depends on collaboration between people and AI, and it’s a future that’s hiring now.”
To address the skills gap, ServiceNow launched ServiceNow University earlier this year, a learning platform aimed at equipping individuals with capabilities for an AI-driven world. The report notes that technology roles will see the most significant growth, with demand expected to rise 54%, adding more than 91,000 technology specialists by 2030. Among the most in-demand positions are search marketing strategists (5,600 jobs), computer programmers (4,200), and computer systems analysts (2,700).
O’Neill stressed that organisations must focus on inclusive workforce planning, AI governance, and upskilling to succeed in the AI-augmented era, ensuring employees are prepared for the evolving digital economy.
