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UAE expands use of AI, robotics as young workers shun low-skilled jobs
To reduce dependence on blue-collar labour, both public and private sectors are deploying advanced technologies that can deliver faster and more efficient results
- PUBLISHED: Thu 22 Jan 2026, 4:34 PM
- By:
- Waheed Abbas
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The UAE is increasingly deploying robotics and artificial intelligence across the construction and manufacturing sectors as it faces growing difficulty in attracting young, non-skilled workers, a UAE minister said on Thursday.
“As a nation, we welcome everyone, and we are attracting talent. One of the challenges that we have is that we're heavily dependent on non-skilled labour for the construction. It's becoming aging. It's too difficult to attract new young people to start working in construction. Robotics is the main solution,” said Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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The UAE relies heavily on foreign nationals, particularly in the construction and manufacturing industries, which together account for more than 80 per cent of the country's population. At the same time, the government has been aggressively promoting and investing in a transition toward a knowledge-based economy by attracting more professionals and highly qualified individuals.
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To reduce dependence on blue-collar labor, both public and private sectors are deploying advanced technologies that can deliver faster and more efficient results.
The minister noted that the UAE, home to the region’s largest development projects, is making significant investments in robotics factories to carry out construction and industrial work.
He revealed that eight years ago, the government began sending a clear message to manufacturers that technology must replace large volumes of manpower to reduce reliance on imported labor.
“It's not anymore about the wages. It's about digitalization and improving the efficiency of how we run the operations.”
Citing examples, he said the oil and gas sector is already applying AI to determine production decisions. “We don't need any more simulation engineers to tell us where (to drill). Now we want AI for the operation. We started applying technology and robotics. The sites where we used to have a shutdown for three to six months, now with robotics, we're just applying it while doing the operation. The robot is doing the surveillance, give us the situation, and the operation is back in a matter of a couple of days.”
He added, “We came up with very holistic approach when it comes to robotics and AI, starting with the government appointments, the policy, developments, and capacity building,” noting that the UAE's investment in research and development has been a key game changer. "When it comes to AI, digitalization, and technology, it is too late to wait for someone else to do it, because you're going to be out of the game."
On foreign investment, the minister highlighted several challenges, including energy supply for manufacturing facilities, land availability and ownership, logistics, and connectivity.
