UAE Hiring Up 16% Since April, Led by Engineering, Manufacturing and Healthcare: Naukrigulf Hiring Index

UAE hiring has picked up steadily over the past six months. The second edition of the Naukrigulf Hiring Index rose from 1,007 in April to 1,167 in September 2026, an increase of 16%. The Index tracks more than 200,000 hiring mandates a year from over 7,000 employers in the UAE, Qatar and Oman.

Key findings at a glance

• Hiring grew in 14 of 15 major industries between April and September
• Manufacturing & Industrial led with 32% growth, now just 2% below last year
• Healthcare and Pharma each rose 26%; Real Estate & Construction rose 20%
• Core Engineering, about a third of all hiring, rose 16% and is back to last year’s level
• Jobs paying up to AED 10,000 a month rose 24%, the fastest recovery by salary band
• BFSI was the only major industry where hiring fell

Which industries are hiring in the UAE

Retail, FMCG and Consumer grew 17%, while Real Estate and Construction, which accounts for nearly a quarter of all UAE hiring, rose 20%. Hospitality, Travel and Entertainment (up 63%) and Automotive and Transport (up 65%) grew fastest, though both started from low levels in April. IT and Digital hiring held roughly steady over the six months and remains 8% below last year.

The most in-demand job functions

Core Engineering is now level with last year after a 16% rise. Operations roles grew 28%, while Sales and Marketing climbed 21% since April but is still 21% below last year.

Salary bands and nationality preferences

Jobs paying AED 10,000 to 20,000 a month rose 7%, and those paying AED 20,000 to 30,000 rose 10%, while hiring for roles above AED 30,000 is lower than in April. Jobs with no nationality preference rose 20% and now make up about 56% of all UAE hiring, up from 54% a year ago. Roles preferring South Asian candidates rose 27%.

“The gap is closing fast”

Sharad Sindhwani, EVP, Business and Product Head at Naukrigulf, said: “Hiring in the Gulf is clearly picking up. Over the past six months, UAE hiring has risen steadily since May, led by engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and real estate. Hiring is still lower than last year, though the gap is closing fast, and jobs paying up to AED10,000 a month, which account for the largest share of hiring, are recovering the quickest.”