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UAE jobs: Hiring for salaries under Dh10,000 drops 26%
Naukrigulf Hiring Index shows well-paid jobs and technology roles held up better, even as overall hiring fell 23 per cent during April-May this year
- PUBLISHED: Mon 6 Jul 2026, 3:44 PM
Jobs paying up to Dh10,000 a month saw the biggest drop in hiring During April-May 2026, falling 26 per cent compared to last year, due to the regional military conflict, according to a new report released on Monday.
The Naukrigulf Hiring Index revealed that higher-paying jobs were affected less.
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Jobs paying Dh11,000-20,000 a month fell by about 22 per cent, and those paying Dh21,000-40,000 fell by about 19 per cent. Jobs paying Dh41,000-80,000 dropped by just 11 per cent.
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The best-paid jobs, those between Dh80,000 and Dh150,000 a month, barely changed – down only five per cent. A very small number of jobs pay more than Dh150,000 a month, and while this group fell more sharply (23 per cent), Naukrigulf Hiring Index says this is because there are so few of these jobs that small changes look bigger than they really are. Importantly, employers are still actively searching for people to fill these top-paying roles.
The UAE and Gulf economies slowed down after the outbreak of the regional military conflict on February 28, impacting travel, trade, tourism and other key sectors. As a result, private sector companies cut jobs or slowed down hiring.
Tech jobs are doing better than most
Across the UAE as a whole, hiring in April and May 2026 was 23 per cent lower than the same months last year. Naukrigulf says this slowdown is linked to regional conflict that have continued since February.
The report covered the Gulf countries and is based on data from more than 220,000 job postings a year, from over 7,000 companies across the UAE, Qatar and Oman.
Even though hiring slowed down overall, jobs in technology held up much better than other industries. IT and digital jobs fell by only 6 per cent, and tech roles specifically dropped by just 3 per cent.
Jobs in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, cybersecurity and data actually grew, up by around 20 per cent. Engineering jobs also did relatively well, down 16 per cent.
Other areas were hit much harder. Sales and marketing jobs fell by 42 per cent, HR jobs by 34 per cent, and finance jobs by 34 per cent.
By industry, oil, gas and energy saw the steepest fall at 30 per cent. Healthcare and pharmaceutical jobs dropped 24 per cent, and real estate and construction fell 20 per cent.
Who employers are looking for
Most companies in the UAE, around 68 per cent, don't ask for a specific nationality when hiring. Among those that do have a preference, Arab candidates are the most sought-after, making up 21 per cent of all job postings. European candidates make up about 6 per cent, as do South Asian candidates, according to Naukrigulf.
This pattern has stayed roughly the same as last year. Employers looking for Arab candidates are mostly hiring for engineering, sales and marketing, and IT roles. Those preferring European candidates are mostly hiring for IT and healthcare jobs.
Sharad Sindhwani, EVP and Business Head at Naukrigulf, said the report shows that different countries, industries and job types are all changing at different speeds.
“While overall activity softened compared to last year, several segments continued to attract employer demand. Technology roles held up better than the broader market in the UAE, Qatar recorded growth across financial services, construction and manufacturing, while Oman continued to see strength in industrial and consumer-facing sectors," he said.
