UAE job creation rebounds 4% in third quarter

Job creation in the UAE rose by 4 per cent in the third quarter of 2026, the strongest increase in the Gulf, according to a new report from recruitment firm Cooper Fitch.

The rise follows a 4 per cent drop in the second quarter, which Cooper Fitch founder and CEO, Dr Trefor Murphy, said was the biggest fall in six years.

Speaking to Dubai Eye’s Business Breakfast show on Tuesday, ahead of the report’s release, he said hiring had picked up in areas the firm didn’t expect. These included energy, mining, industry, manufacturing and senior finance roles.

Across the Gulf, job creation rose by 2 per cent after a 3 per cent drop in the previous quarter. Saudi Arabia grew by just over 1 per cent, while Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain all declined.

Murphy said the new roles are a mix of brand-new jobs and stalled hiring processes that have been restarted, and he linked the rebound to rising confidence.

On pay, Murphy said salaries have been largely flat this year, with only small, one-off increases. Early figures for 2027 from about 800 organisations look “a little bit positive”, he said, but it’s still early.

He said there has been little slowdown in talent wanting to move to the UAE, though employers still strongly prefer people already based in the region.

The report also showed the first rise in strategy roles in three years, after 12 straight quarters of decline. Murphy said the hiring is mostly companies building their own in-house teams rather than using consultants.