Tech Roles to Surge by 54%Economic expansion to drive more than 12% workforce growth by 2030, with tech workers needed to support digital transformation.
Dubai, UAE – 17 December 2025:
A recently released Workforce Skills Forecast 2025 report from ServiceNow, the AI control tower for business reinvention, projects that the UAE will need to add 1.03 million workers by 2030, largely due to economic growth and technology roles required to support digital transformation. This 12.1% increase in the human workforce represents one of the highest percentage increases among the markets studied, compared to projected growth in major economies such as the United States (2.1%), the United Kingdom (2.8%), and India (10.6%).
Conducted in collaboration with Pearson, the report found that the UAE’s manufacturing, education, and retail sectors will be among the main drivers of this expansion, adding approximately 133,000, 78,000, and 60,000 new jobs respectively. Key industries such as finance and healthcare are also expected to add more than 40,000 and 39,000 roles.
When comparing relative growth, the energy and utilities sector is set to expand most significantly at 33%, followed by education (31%) and manufacturing (18%).
As ServiceNow examined the impact of agentic AI on workforce dynamics, the company found that efficiency gains driven by this technology will be far outweighed by the need for human talent. For example, in the financial services sector, agentic AI could perform work equivalent to 17,000 full-time employees, or about 6.6% of the current workforce. However, the report also projects a 26% increase in jobs driven by economic growth and demand for employees who can enable emerging technologies.
“What we are seeing in the UAE, as well as in nearly every other country surveyed, is that AI augmentation will be central to capturing the next wave of economic growth,” said William O’Neill, area VP and general manager – GCC at ServiceNow. “The future of work depends on collaboration between people and AI, and it’s a future that’s hiring now. Organisations that win the race for top talent will be those that redesign roles and invest in upskilling to meet the demands of this new era.”
To address the growing skills gap, ServiceNow launched ServiceNow University in May this year, an innovative learning platform designed to help individuals build capabilities for an AI-driven world.
The report highlights that the need for upskilling will be particularly pronounced in the technology sector. While the UAE’s overall workforce is expected to grow by 12.1%, demand for technology professionals is forecast to rise by an impressive 54%. Tech roles currently account for around 169,000 of the UAE’s 8.5 million jobs. By 2030, organisations will require more than 91,000 additional technology specialists.
Among the most in-demand technology roles will be search marketing strategists, expected to add 5,600 positions, followed by computer programmers with 4,200 new roles and computer systems analysts with 2,700.
“To get ahead of labour shortfalls and win the future of work, organisations must build an inclusive future for workers,” O’Neill added. “The roadmap is clear: deploy AI thoughtfully, establish strong governance frameworks to manage risks, and invest ambitiously in upskilling programmes that prepare employees for an AI-augmented world. This approach will help create workforces that are more resilient, innovative, and fulfilled.”
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Methodology
The Workforce Skills Forecast 2025 draws on Pearson’s proprietary dataset of 5,600 jobs across ten countries. Using AI, researchers examined the impact of 34 emerging technologies expected to shape work over the next five years, covering industries such as healthcare, retail, financial services, and manufacturing. The analysis is grounded in Pearson’s proprietary ontology of roles and skills, which uses machine learning to scan public labour market data including job boards, census information, and other sources. The ontology is continuously updated using insights from more than 10 million job advertisements processed each month.
About ServiceNow
ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) is the AI control tower for business reinvention. The ServiceNow AI Platform integrates with any cloud, any model, and any data source to orchestrate workflows across the enterprise. By unifying legacy systems, cloud applications, and AI agents, ServiceNow enables coordinated, autonomous workflows that deliver measurable results. More than 75 billion workflows run on the platform each year.
About Pearson
At Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the mission is to help people realise the life they imagine through learning. Pearson delivers digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data solutions globally, creating learning experiences with real-world impact.
