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'Shadow workloads': UAE employees take on wider roles; AI adoption grows
Research showed 73% of UAE professionals were using artificial intelligence tools to complete tasks that would previously have fallen outside their skills or knowledge
- PUBLISHED: Mon 3 Aug 2026, 10:59 AM
UAE professionals are taking on broader responsibilities as companies adapt to a fast-moving business environment, with nearly eight in 10 workers saying their roles have expanded over the past year, according to research by Robert Walters.
The survey found that 79 per cent of respondents were handling duties beyond their original job scope, reflecting how organisations are redistributing responsibilities as business needs evolve.
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To manage the additional work, 49 per cent of professionals said they were working longer hours, while 25 per cent were delegating tasks where possible. Only 17 per cent, however, had discussed the increase in responsibilities with their managers.
Robert Walters described the trend as the growth of “shadow workloads”, where extra tasks accumulate informally without being formally reflected in job titles, compensation or career progression.
Workforce adapts to changing demands
Oli Sanford-Scutt, Senior Director at Robert Walters Middle East, said the findings reflected the speed at which organisations and employees in the UAE were adapting.
“The UAE’s business environment moves fast, and organisations have had to adapt quickly,” he said.
He added that the wider scope of employees’ roles demonstrated agility, but warned that companies should ensure additional responsibilities were clearly recognised and managed before they became a permanent source of pressure.
Andrew Powell, Chief Commercial Officer at Robert Walters, said many organisations were seeking to maintain productivity while managing costs and resources more efficiently.
He said wider roles could help businesses remain flexible in the short term, but employers needed better visibility of where workloads were increasing.
AI supports new responsibilities
The research showed that 73 per cent of UAE professionals were using artificial intelligence tools to complete tasks that would previously have fallen outside their skills or knowledge.
Robert Walters said the rapid adoption of AI was helping employees improve productivity, expand their capabilities and move more quickly into new areas of work.
Sanford-Scutt described the UAE workforce as one of the most technology-focused in the region, giving businesses a competitive advantage as AI use accelerates.
However, he said employers should introduce AI with clear expectations so that productivity gains reduce pressure rather than simply lead to more tasks being assigned.
“For businesses operating in the UAE, being intentional about how AI is integrated, and what it means for individual capacity, is becoming an increasingly important part of talent retention,” he said.
Managing sustainable performance
The survey also found that 43 per cent of professionals frequently experienced fatigue, reduced concentration or emotional exhaustion after periods of intense performance, while another 31 per cent experienced such effects occasionally.
Powell said additional responsibilities could support professional development and help employees build new capabilities when they were properly managed and recognised.
He advised companies to monitor where pressure was building and consider redistributing work, investing in productivity tools or bringing in temporary expertise where required.
“Organisations that strike the right balance between efficiency and sustainable workloads will be better positioned to maintain long-term performance,” he said.
