Zahra Habib
Bahrain and the UAE lead the Gulf states in gender equality
Gulf citizens heading to work in the lead by 29 %
60 % of job seekers in the Gulf from the Millennium (Y “generation
The “Pro Capita” group expected 16.8% growth in the Gulf labor market through the increase in the number of employees in the Gulf countries in 2025, compared to 15.2% in 2024, which reflects the continued positive transformations in the labor market, driven by Emiratization initiatives and increasing demand for national competencies.
According to the expectations of “Pro Capita”, next year will witness growth in the healthcare, technology, e -commerce, contracting, tourism, and hospitality sectors, with the increasing need for specialized jobs in data science, cybersecurity, software development, human resources, sales, and marketing.
The group report stated that with the continued government initiatives in the Gulf to support employment, the report expects that the year 2025 will witness growth in the number of employees by 16.8% compared to 15.2% in 2024, which reflects the positive trend of the Gulf -backed labor market, technology, and increasing opportunities in the vital sectors.
The report indicated that the year 2024 witnessed a remarkable success of the Emiratization initiatives in the GCC countries
For the cooperation of the Gulf, where national talents have become the driving force in the labor market, bypassing foreign workers that were the largest percentage in previous years.
According to the “Pro Capita” report, the citizens looking for 29%, exceeding the Indian community, which came second with 27%, followed by the Egyptians 13%, the Pakistanis 10%, the Philippines 9%, while the Lebanese and Jordanian community recorded 6%each.
The report emphasized that the year 2024 witnessed stability in the rate of growth of female job seekers, which confirms the success of the initiatives aimed at enhancing diversity and gender equality, and the UAE topped the Gulf states with a participation rate of 31%, followed by Bahrain and Qatar, while Saudi Arabia continued its gradual progress with 19%.
Statistics revealed that most job seekers hold high educational qualifications, as the percentage of those with a bachelor’s degree reached 63%, while 30% hold a master’s degree, and 4% doctorate degrees, while the percentage of those holding an average qualification did not exceed 3%.
With the increase in the numbers of the Millennium generation (Wii “(born in 1981-1996) and the generation of Z (born 1997-2012) in the labor market, the balance between practical and social life, providing a flexible environment, and attention to luxury has become one of the main factors in employment decisions. According to the report, job seekers were distributed in the Gulf according to generations as follows:
60% of the Millennium (Y).
– 22% of Z (Z) generation.
15% of the X (X, born 1965-1980).
3% of the mutation generation (born 1946-1964).
The report added that the Gulf labor market has witnessed a growth in demand for jobs in technology, renewable energy, tourism, insurance, and legal services, as it is one of the promising sectors, while the demand for logistical services, real estate, oil and gas decreased due to technology adoption and changes in market requirements.
The report expects that the demand for employment will increase in several sectors, including health care, technology and e -commerce, contracting and construction, tourism, entertainment and hospitality.
According to the report, certain jobs will witness an increasing demand, most notably data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity specialists, software developers and facade designers, human resources specialists, sales, marketing, financial analysts and project managers, engineers (mechanics, electricians, civilians), legal advisers and business development specialists.
On the other hand, the demand for traditional jobs such as data entry employees, phone marketing, travel agents, reception staff, and traditional real estate brokers.
