Jobs on the Rise Hub > UAE
United Arab Emirates
Jobs on the Rise
Jobs on the Rise Hub > UAE
United Arab Emirates
Jobs on the Rise
Jobs on the Rise Hub > UAE
United Arab Emirates
Jobs on the Rise
This is a special edition of the LinkedIn Emerging Jobs report that more closely represents the rapidly-changing world we’re living in as a result of COVID-19. Instead of looking at how the jobs landscape has changed over the past 5 years - as we have done in years past - this year, we looked at the roles experiencing the highest growth between April to October 2020, compared to the previous year. We then curated that data into 15 job categories ranked by a combination of growth and size of the demand.
We’ve called these categories ‘Jobs on the Rise’ because, while the shifting landscape over the past year has resulted in significant job losses, we’ve also seen a rise in job categories in direct response to changing consumer behaviour and business needs.
In this special edition we’ll take a look at these categories, the skills needed, where the jobs are located, and insights into career paths. This will help talent professionals, job seekers, and employers get ready for what comes next, whether it’s forming a hiring strategy for the year ahead, or learning new skills to pivot into a new profession.
Spotlight
Using LinkedIn data, we found a rising demand for Digital Content Freelancers, Digital Marketing Specialists and Professional and Personal Coaches across UAE. Many job seekers used this opportunity to change careers, while others switched professions out of necessity. We’ve seen Business Owners become Life Coaches, Account Managers become Social Media Managers, and Writers become Content Coordinators.
Market stat
In 2020, companies were faced with the rapidly evolving landscape and restrictions caused by COVID-19. As a result, they looked for new ways of creating content, like YouTube videos and blog posts, to connect with customers. This, combined with the need to work in a flexible and agile way, created a sharp rise in demand for Digital Content Freelancers, a category which grew by 197% in 2020.
As we look ahead into 2021, here are the top 15 job categories driving the United Arab Emirates job market:
1. Specialised Medical Professionals
This category saw 112% growth in hires, with Nurses and General Practitioners being in high demand across UAE. To tackle the virus, the Emirates also launched a national volunteer campaign in April 2020 that registered more than 1,000 volunteers (retired doctors, students, general practitioners, psychiatrists, nursing staff) in just a few days. It’s worth mentioning that the average age of those employed in 2020 was 31 and 41% of them had a master's degree or higher education.
Top skills:
Nursing, Basic Life Support (BLS), Internal Medicine, Patient Safety, Healthcare Management
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman
Common job titles:
Registered Nurse, Nurse, General Practitioner, Medical Doctor, Clinical Pharmacist
2. Digital Content Freelancers
To support the local economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UAE created new work permits for international freelancers. Additionally, the rise in online activity, the adoption of digital platforms across sectors, and changing consumer behaviour led to high demand for freelancers and a 200% increase in digital content-related jobs, with 25% of them being available remotely. Bloggers, YouTubers and Podcasters took advantage of these new opportunities, and started pushing their own content online. The average age for this job category was 29, slightly higher than other markets like Brazil and Spain where the average age was 25 and 26 respectively.
Top skills:
YouTube, Blogging, Social Media Marketing, Creative Writing, Video Production
Top locations hiring:
Dubai
Common job titles:
Content Coordinator, Blogger, Youtuber, Podcaster
3. Healthcare Supporting Staff
While nurses and doctors battled COVID-19 on the frontline, Healthcare Supporting Staff like Laboratory Assistants and Clinical Managers worked behind-the-scenes on PCR testing and vaccine development. Organisations like Group 42 led the vaccine clinical trials, and researchers at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center worked on a groundbreaking stem cell treatment in August 2020. All of this work and developments led to a 129% increase in Healthcare Supporting Staff roles.
Top skills:
Hematology, Infection Control, Microbiology, Laboratory Skills, Clinical Research
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman
Common job titles:
Medical Laboratory Technologist, Laboratory Assistant, Healthcare Assistant, Medical Consultant, Clinic Manager
4. E-Commerce
Although E-Commerce has been steadily growing in UAE year-on-year, the COVID-19 pandemic made virtual stores the new normal for any small business looking to stay afloat. This explains why virtual store platforms like noon.com continue to grow the UAE’s E-Commerce sector and attract new investors. The average age of those hired in E-Commerce Coordinator and Online Specialist roles was 29, and 66% of them hold a Bachelor’s degree.
Top skills:
Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), E-commerce
Top locations hiring:
Dubai
Common job titles:
Ecommerce Coordinator, Online Specialist
5. Digital Marketing Specialists
With online usage increasing year on year, companies moved to capitalise on increased E-Commerce activity, with a growth of 71% hired into Digital Marketing roles in 2020. Social media related roles showed some of the highest growth, which is understandable when you look at the social media usage by platform. This category saw one of the most balanced gender hiring, with 51:49 female to male ratio, and the vast majority were self-employed or freelancers.
Top skills:
Influencer Marketing, Content Strategy, Digital Marketing, Market Research, Google Ads
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah
Common job titles:
Digital Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, Social Media Marketing Specialist, Marketing Director, Social Media Marketing Manager
6. Business Development and Sales Roles
Whilst industries like travel, hospitality and retail were hit hard by the pandemic, industries like software and technology enabling digital transformation saw an upward trend in the region. This resulted in more salespeople being hired in the UAE to capitalise on this growth, contributing to a 74% growth in Business Development and Sales hires. One possible complementary factor to this growth was the UAE’s decision to allow foreign investors and entrepreneurs to set up businesses without involving local shareholders. It’s also worth mentioning that 11% of the roles were remote.
Top skills:
Business Development, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Lead Generation, Team Management, Sales Management
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman
Common job titles:
Business Development Specialist, Business Development Associate, Vice President of Sales, Sales Team Lead
7. Professional and Personal Coaches
Due to several roles being impacted across several industries, many of those affected adjusted their career paths to become Professional and Personal Coaches which led to a 207% growth in these roles compared to 2019. 61% of these roles were filled by women, the majority of them being self-employed.
Top skills:
Life Coaching, Executive Coaching
Top locations hiring:
Dubai
Common job titles:
Life Coach, Leadership Coach
8. Creative Professionals
UAE is well known for being a strong regional creative hub, with talent stemming from the Middle East and North Africa. To keep creative industries afloat during the pandemic, UAE offered grants and other forms of financial support. Our data shows that Freelance Writers and Video Producers were in high demand in 2020, with more companies looking to enhance their digital presence with high-quality content.
Top skills:
Video Production, Writing, Illustration, Graphic Design, Photography
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi
Common job titles:
Writer, Video Producer, Fashion Stylist, Art Consultant, Illustrator
9. Education Roles
Education-related roles registered a 72% increase in 2020, with Teaching Assistants being in high demand at New York University Abu Dhabi and American University of Sharjah. 67% of those hired within this category were women with an average age of 27.
Top skills:
Educational Leadership, Curriculum Development, Instructional Design, Special Education, English as a Second Language (ESL)
Top locations hiring:
Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah
Common job titles:
Teaching Assistant, High School Teacher, English Second Language Teacher, Career Counselor, Curriculum Developer
10. Language Services
This job category increased by 134% in 2020 compared to 2019, with Medical Interpreters and English Teachers amongst those that transitioned to a Translator role. It’s worth noting that 56% of those hired as a Translator were female with an average age of 29.
Top skills:
Translation, Proofreading, Legal Translation
Top locations hiring:
Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Common job titles:
Translator
11. General Business Roles
With many organisations having to adapt their business plans in order to keep up with fast-changing customer needs, it stands to reason that business-related roles soared in 2020. Many of these job openings were for top management positions, which explains why the average age of those hired was 37. Of all the roles hired, 53% held a Master's Degree or higher, and 26% were female.
Top skills:
Business Strategy, Strategic Planning, Organizational Development, Leadership, Team Management
Top locations hiring:
Dubai
Common job titles:
Managing Partner, Outreach Manager, Head Of Compliance, Organisational Development Manager, Strategic Partner
12. Technology
The UAE is fast becoming one of the global technology and innovation hubs, evidenced by the 61% growth of technology hires in 2020. Interestingly, a large proportion of Technology roles, for example Frontend Developer and Technical Director, were in a freelance or self-employed capacity. It’s also worth noting that 78% of total hires in 2020 were male with an average age of 30.
Top skills:
Responsive Web Design, JavaScript, User Experience Design (UED), SASS, Web Development, User Interface Design
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman
Common job titles:
Web Developer, Frontend Developer, User Interface Designer, Product Design Consultant, Cyber Security Analyst
13. Specialised Engineering Roles
Engineering is one of those ‘pandemic-proof’ job categories that has shown a continued rise over the past few years. In 2020, Engineering roles grew by 72%. As a job category which tends to attract more males than females, it stands to reason that 86% of total hires in 2020 were men.
Top skills:
Biomedical Engineering, Deep Learning, Audio Engineering, Marine Engineering
Top locations hiring:
Dubai
Common job titles:
Biomedical Engineer, Marine Engineer, Materials Engineer, Audio Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer
14. Finance Roles
With turbulence in the economy and uncertainty in financial markets, the expertise of financial professionals was highly sought after in 2020. This category has seen a 63% growth. Majority of hires were for senior-level positions with a median age of 38 at time of hire, and 63% of hires held a Master's Degree or higher.
Top skills:
Corporate Finance, Financial Modeling, Portfolio Management, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Trading
Top locations hiring:
Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Common job titles:
Corporate Finance Manager, Finance Business Partner, Equity Trader
15. Online News & Journalism
At the start of the pandemic, the UAE decided to limit distribution of all print media to contain virus spread. However, the rapidly evolving situation surrounding COVID-19 saw a great appetite for related news and information, thereby increasing online media consumption and resulting in a 58% rise in hires for News & Journalism roles.
Top skills:
Editing, Journalism, Television
Top locations hiring:
Dubai, Abu Dhabi
Common job titles:
Editor, Journalist, Television Producer
Conclusion
This is a special edition of the LinkedIn Emerging Jobs report that more closely represents the rapidly-changing world we’re living in as a result of COVID-19. Instead of looking at how the jobs landscape has changed over the past 5 years - as we have done in years past - this year, we’re focusing only on the past 12 months to isolate what has truly changed and where people can find work now.
If you’re a talent professional or an employer already using LinkedIn Talent Solutions, here are some product features that can help you adapt your strategies to the current talent landscape:
• A new filter in New Recruiter & Jobs to easily find candidates who are interested in working remotely.
• A simpler way to post remote jobs that stands out clearly to job seekers looking for remote opportunities.
• Video Intros to allow candidates to virtually share an introduction of themselves as part of the job application process. Video intros are also a great way of assessing soft skills, helping you save time on the interview process.
You can also discover more about LinkedIn solutions that will help you create and implement an agile talent strategy, such as:
LinkedIn Learning: to help you develop a learning and development programme that enables employees to grow their skills.
• LinkedIn Recruiter: the all-encompassing hiring platform, that allows you to find, connect with and manage candidates.
• LinkedIn Jobs: to post your open roles and attract the most relevant candidates with personalised targeting.
• LinkedIn Talent Insights to identify skill gaps by gaining visibility into your workforce’s strengths and the top skills in the market.
Methodology
Jobs on the Rise are defined as the career categories that have seen the highest year-on-year growth rates in hiring, looking at the April 2020 to October 2020 timeframe. LinkedIn’s Economic Graph data scientists looked across 15,000+ job titles to uncover the jobs that have grown the most compared to 2019 levels, those titles were then grouped into overarching career trends that capture as many as 25 job titles within each category. Career trends are ranked using a combination of year-over-year growth rate combined with the raw size of the job demand.