UAE jobs in demand: 9am to 6pm office hours will be a thing of the past

Dubai - 'Being digitally literate is the new trend in 2021'

By Waheed Abbas

Published: Sun 14 Mar 2021, 3:57 PM

Last updated: Sun 14 Mar 2021, 7:55 PM

Dubai – The future of work in the UAE will no longer be 9am to 6pm office hours, but a massive push to the gig economy on the back of the Covid-19 outbreak, as companies increasingly looking to hire freelancers to deliver projects and raise the efficiency bar, according to senior executives from the human resources (HR) sector and organisational consulting firms.

They said that digital skills such as roles of teachers, teaching assistants and healthcare experts such as registered and critical care nurses and speciality doctors and physicians would be in high demand over the next five years.

“The future of work depends on the gig economy, as organisations are pushed to turn more agile, with no room for a large workforce of full-time employees. Many firms are hiring gig workers to deliver projects with short-term and flexible hiring options,” said Mayank Patel, country manager, Adecco Middle East, a global recruitment and HR solutions firm.

“The future of work will no longer be about 9am to 6pm office hours. Soon, the gig economy will kick in. Millennials will take up major managerial positions delivering high-level competency and strength to the businesses,” he added.

Skills in demand

It is imperative for the UAE employees to continue to upgrade their skills in a bid to remain competitive amid a paucity in new job creations.

“The roles in nursing, general medicine, emergency care and lab technicians continue to be in strong demand. Also, digital marketing, data analytics and online content roles have been in demand. As employees are spending more time at home working, there is a sudden surge for the need of virtual trainers and coaches as personal development takes the front foot in the Covid-19 pandemic,” says Vijay Gandhi, regional director at Korn Ferry, an organizational consulting firm.

Equally, demand for teachers, teaching assistants and more roles in online media are reporting a surge, he added.

In the digital world, a cloud architecture design, software operations support, website/game/software development, large-scale data modelling, and cybersecurity skills are the top five in-demand skills that will hold the key in the next five years, said Gandhi.

Mayank Patel said being digitally literate is the new trend in 2021. The skill gap would continue to be high with a rising demand for soft skills such as critical thinking and analysis, problem-solving, and skills in self-management such as active learning, resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility.

Besides, information technology (IT) roles such as data analysts, big data, data scientists, cyber security, software and web app developers, Patel said that digital marketing professionals, financial investment and fintech, e-commerce front-line staff and healthcare experts would also be in great demand in the near future.

-waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com