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UAE employees among the most optimistic about job market, says report
Around 76 per cent of employees in the UAE believe it is a good time to find a job, says Gallup’s Global Workplace: 2026 Report released on Wednesday
- PUBLISHED: Wed 8 Apr 2026, 3:19 PM
UAE employees are among the most optimistic globally about job prospects, with nearly eight in 10 saying it is a good time to find a job, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report.
UAE employees have some of the most optimistic job market sentiments globally, as nearly 8 out of 10 employees – 76 per cent – believe it is a good time to find a job, according to The State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report, released by Gallup on Wednesday.
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Interestingly, more than half – 55 per cent – of workers in the UAE believe that they are thriving, one of the highest rates in the region.
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“At the time of measurement, 76 per cent of UAE workers said it is a good time to find a job in their local market – one of the most optimistic figures anywhere in the world. The MENA average is 36 per cent, and the region as a whole is the least optimistic globally. So the UAE is operating in a very different reality. That optimism is grounded in something tangible – continued diversification, active hiring across sectors, and an economy that is visibly creating opportunity. People can see it around them, and the data confirms what they're experiencing,” Abdullah Bader, regional director for MENA at Gallup, told Khaleej Times.
The survey was conducted prior to the outbreak of the ongoing regional military conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday morning. Further talks between the US and Iran are scheduled to take place in Pakistan on Friday.
Globally, about half of employees—52 per cent—said it was a "good time" to find a job, up one percentage point from 2025. Job market optimism rose among fully on-site workers but declined among remote and remote-capable employees, likely due to fewer remote opportunities.
“The UAE job market was in a very strong position — 76 per cent job market optimism, 27 per cent employee engagement, and 55 per cent of workers thriving. Regionally, job market sentiment across MENA had been climbing steadily since pandemic lows in 2020–2021. That's the baseline the region carried into the current situation. How things evolve from here is something we'll be watching closely in future data cycles, but the foundation in the UAE was solid,” added Bader.
High engagement
Gallup data showed that the UAE has an employee engagement rate of 27 per cent, which is nearly double the regional average of 14 per cent.
“That matters because engagement and thriving reinforce each other. When people feel their work has purpose, when they have a manager who genuinely invests in their development, when they get to do what they do best every day – that doesn't stay at the office. It shapes how they evaluate their whole lives. Add to that a labour market where 76 per cent of workers say it's a good time to find a job, and you have a workforce that feels both stable and optimistic. That combination is rare – not just in the region, but globally,” Bader said.
The Gallup study found that majorities of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) workers were thriving in three countries: Israel (63 per cent), the UAE (55 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (51 per cent).
Global employee engagement
Global employee engagement fell to 20 per cent in 2025, down from a peak of 23 per cent in 2022, marking the first time Gallup has recorded two consecutive years of decline in global engagement. Despite long-term gains, including an eight-point increase since 2009, the recent downturn signals growing challenges for organisations worldwide, according to The State of the Global Workplace.
Each percentage point of engagement represents approximately 21 million employees globally. While the long-term trend shows improvement in the quality of work for millions, recent declines are a cause for concern.
Low engagement continues to carry a high economic cost. In 2024, disengagement resulted in an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity globally – equivalent to 9 per cent of global GDP.
The 2025 global decline in engagement was geographically widespread, with no region experiencing an increase. South Asia saw the largest drop.
