Most Demanding Job Opportunities in Dubai
Dubai is the center of attraction for the entire world, and the city is growing like never before. The growth also creates new job opportunities. Many companies across UAE are actively recruiting and looking for candidates with specialized skills.
According to a recent study published by Michael Page (global recruitment specialist), the highest paying jobs will come from the banking and financial sectors. Tech and digital are other fields that may witness a surge in the coming few years. According to the senior professionals at Michael Page, AI, machine learning, robotics process automation, Python developers, and Cloud architects/engineers will be the most in-demand jobs in the IT sector. With the rise in tech startups in UAE, where Dubai is the startup hub, there will be a high influx of technical jobs.
Here is the sector-wise breakdown of the most expected in-demand jobs in Dubai.
Table of Content
Consultancy Strategy and Change
Data and Analytics
Digital
Engineering and Manufacturing
Finance and Accounting
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Human Resources
Legal
Oil and Gas
Procurement and Supply Chain
Property and Construction
Retail
Sales and Marketing Consumer
Sales and Marketing B2B
Secretarial and Office Support
Technology
Banking and Financial Services
Positions in Demand
- Investment Associate
- Finance Manager – Investments
- Institutional Sales – Director, Associate
- Compliance Manager
- Corporate Development / Investments – Manager / Director
- Fund Finance Manager
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Financial Modelling
- Financial Control & Commercial Finance
- Institutional Sales/Fund Raising
- Compliance
Recruitment managers in the banking and financial sectors are eagerly looking for personnel with various specialized skillsets with local market experience.
Consultancy Strategy and Change
Positions in Demand
- Corporate Strategy & Planning Professionals
- Business Project & Transformation Professionals
- Strategic Partnership/JV/BD Professionals
- External Consulting in Public Sector and IT
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Corporate and Business Unit Strategy
- Project Management/Implementation
- Growth Strategy
Even in challenging markets, candidates from more sophisticated markets with the skills and experience will remain in high demand. The right candidate will have a variety of options to choose from.
Data and Analytics
Positions in Demand
- Data Engineering Professionals
- Industry-Specific Analytics Professionals
- Senior Leadership Across Data Analytics & Science
- Predictive Analytics Focused Professionals
- Statisticians
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Senior Leadership Roles across all Data Categories
Most organizations in the UAE are adopting data-driven decision-making via analytics & insights. For the past few years, organizations have realized the importance of investing in Data Engineering talent. The right talent can help build the right infrastructure to collect, manage, and convert raw data into usable information.
Digital
Positions in Demand
- User Experience Design
- Growth-focused Digital Marketing
- Product Development
- Digital Transformation Project Management
- E-commerce Leadership
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- User Experience
- Data-driven Marketing
The appetite for digital talent has increased exponentially on a global scale. During the last few years, most organizations have realized the importance of digital marketing and prefer to hire locally-based candidates.
Engineering and Manufacturing
Positions in Demand
- COO
- General Manager
- Plant Manager
- Business Excellence Manager
- R&D Manager
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Lean Manufacturing
- Leadership
- Customer-Centric Design
Like other industries, the manufacturing industry is also forced to reconsider several aspects of hiring and retaining talents during the last few years. Companies are now trying their best to utilize their assets by increasing the efficiency of their production processes and digitization. They are building up customer centricity approach through new product development and innovation.
Finance and Accounting
Positions in Demand
- Regional Head of Finance/Finance Director
- Tax Managers (Direct & indirect)
- Credit Manager/Controller
- Internal Audit/Risk Manager
- FP&A Manager/Senior Analyst
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Finance Transformation
- Taxation-Direct, Indirect, Transfer Pricing
- Treasury Restructuring-Cash & Credit
- Compliance-Risk and Internal Control
Businesses are merging multiple roles with specific skill sets. Companies are struggling to find candidates with the right skill set. Even though there is an oversupply of candidates, most lack the required skills and demands. If you have hands-on experience and eagerness to update yourself, you can expect to land a good job.
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How to find a job as a newbie in Dubai?
Recruitment Agencies in Dubai
Healthcare and Life Sciences
Positions in Demand
- Nurse
- Laboratory Technicians
- Doctor/Physicians
- Marketing Manager and Sales Managers in Life Sciences
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Licensed Professional
- Become Licensed in UAE Quickly
- For Life Science-Regional Sales, Project Management, and Market Access
Dubai’s aim to be a health tourism capital in the Middle East has fueled the demand for healthcare professionals. Thus, healthcare institutions will continue to hire more nurses, lab technicians, doctors, and other specialized healthcare professionals.
The hiring will be in large volumes, especially licensed professionals within the UAE or professionals who can quickly become certified in the UAE.
Human Resources
Positions in Demand
- Talent Acquisition & Recruitment Manager/Specialists
- Regional HR Manager (ideally with exposure to Saudi Arabia)
- Talent & Performance Management Specialist
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Talent Acquisition
- Employment Engagement & Wellbeing
- HR for Startups
- Emirati Nationals
Talented HR professionals will always remain in demand. However, the focus has now shifted. The candidates’ experience in formulating and implementing strategies around employee engagement, welfare, and workplace culture will be preferred. Professionals from the HR field need to focus on developing their CVs on quantifiable & qualitative achievements related to mentioned skills.
Legal
Positions in Demand
- Regulatory Development Lawyer
- Corporate Associate
- Fintech/E-payments/Cryptocurrency
- Construction/Major Projects
- Public Sector
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Ability to liaise with senior stakeholders in government authorities and ministries.
- Increasing demand for cross-border knowledge and experience rather than just local market expertise.
- Hybrid skillset.
During the last 2 years, recruitment in the legal field has been one of the highest in the UAE. Organizations are looking to make new key hires or replace less-skilled employees. In the legal field, the competition for talent is considered to be the toughest in recent times.
Oil and Gas
Positions in Demand
- Operations Manager
- Project Manager
- Commissioning/Decommissioning Manager
- Design Manager
- Estimating/Cost Manager
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Artificial Intelligence
- Diversified skills and experience
- Sustainability
Fluctuation in oil prices and the growing urgency to move away from fossil fuels have forced the oil industry to recognize the need for innovation and digital transformation. Thus, the industry will aim to recruit talent with diversified skills and experience to increase efficiency and build sustainability.
Procurement and Supply Chain
Positions in Demand
- Technology Procurement Manager
- 3PL/Transport Manager
- Customer Service Project Manager
- Customer Service & Logistics Specialist
- Procure to Pay Manager
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Sales and Influencing
- Data-centricity
- Network & Route Design
Data is going to be the heart of the operation. Thus, the industry is looking to hire proactive candidates with data-centric backgrounds.
Property and Construction
Positions in Demand
- Project Director
- Project Manager
- Real Estate Asset Management
- Leasing
- Facilities Management
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Cost Control/Commercial
- Real Estate Asset Management
- Project Delivery
Several professionals have moved to the UAE because of better salaries, additional benefits, and opportunities in large-scale project pipelines. Still, the UAE real estate and construction businesses are short of skilled talent.
Retail
Positions in Demand
- Trainers
- Store Managers
- Marketers (with e-commerce experience)
- Buyers for Online Channels
- Contract Sales Staff
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Developing Online Capabilities
- Store Experience
- Training & Development
During the last two years, the retail business has witnessed higher levels of innovation compared to other industries. Due to the considerable shift in buying patterns, consumer mindset, and emotional affiliations toward brands, the trend is expected to continue.
A lot of the local and multinational players are expected to continue to build tools to support the transition to online sales. However, a physical presence still remains extremely relevant in the Middle East. Multiple online brands are opening physical stores in the region.
Sales and Marketing Consumer
Positions in Demand
- Marketing Manager
- Commercial Director
- BD Managers/Regional Sales Manager
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Pioneers and Entrepreneurial Thinking
- Strategic Thinking
- Growth Marketing
- Flexibility and Adaptability
- Distribution Efficiencies
The businesses are looking to hire candidates demonstrating ‘out-of-the-box and strategic thinking. Professionals with entrepreneurial attitudes and creative thinking are going to be in high demand. You need to expand your skill sets and also stay informed of the cultural context.
Sales and Marketing B2B
Positions in Demand
- Sales Director
- Account Manager
- Sales Team Leader
- Business Development Manager
- Customer Success Manager
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Social Selling
- Industry Expertise
- Solution Selling
- Channel/Distribution Management
- New Market Creation
Candidates that demonstrate their potential capabilities to creatively bundle up existing products and service offerings will be preferred. Occupying new market share and increasing customer satisfaction will remain the desired skill.
Secretarial and Office Support
Positions in Demand
- Office Manager & Executive Assistant
- Executive Assistant (with Team Assistant responsibilities)
- Office Administrator/Team Assistant
- Office Manager/Executive Assistant
- Executive Assistant (with RFP experience)
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Flexibility
- Business EA/PA
- Problem Solving Skills
The support staff is always expected to provide solutions to complex requests and lighten the personal responsibilities of seniors. So they can focus on core activities. Recruitment managers prefer to hire multi-talented and versatile candidates for such roles.
Technology
Positions in Demand
- Front End Developer
- Full-Stack Developer
- Head of Software Engineering
- Cloud Architect/Engineer
- IT Project Management
Most Sought-after Skills or Experience
- Software Development
- Cloud
- Technology Consulting
Some of the tech roles have recently witnessed a high turnover rate and are expected to be in the coming year. Due to the large market for tech companies, demand for candidates will only increase. The rise in tech startups in Dubai is going to increase hiring in the industry further.
Conclusion
Whether you are a fresh graduate or a senior professional, this guide can help you in upgrading your skill level. You can evaluate the suitable opportunities in your industry. The guide can help you narrow down your selection and find a new position that aligns with your skills and expectations.