Welcome to the age the place your greatest profession flex shouldn’t be a much bigger paycheck as an alternative, it’s not being changed by a machine. With synthetic intelligence (AI) reworking how work will get performed within the UAE, workers are rethinking priorities, placing job safety and future-proof expertise forward of conventional wage ambitions.Not way back, workplace small discuss within the UAE revolved round raises, promotions and nook places of work. Now it’s about AI instruments, automation and a quiet query lurking behind each Zoom name, “Will my job nonetheless exist in 5 years?” As synthetic intelligence reshapes workplaces at breakneck velocity, job safety has formally grow to be the brand new standing image.A current regional survey reveals that workers within the UAE and the broader Gulf are rising more and more cautious about profession prospects as AI reshapes the office, with job safety now overtaking conventional issues like wage will increase. The shift displays each the speedy adoption of AI applied sciences and a broader recalibration of workforce priorities in an period of digital transformation.As synthetic intelligence tightens its grip on the office, Center East workers are rethinking what issues most. The Center East Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 discovered that 85% of respondents now prioritise job safety over wage development, reflecting rising issues round long-term stability. Key insights embody 75% AI adoption (above international 69%), excessive expertise studying (64% vs 56% international) and job safety as high precedence amid rising fatigue.In different phrases, the findings come as AI adoption accelerates, with 75% of employees utilizing AI instruments of their roles final yr and practically 30% turning to generative AI every day, surpassing international averages.
AI adoption is skyrocketing however so are fears about job safety
The UAE has quickly emerged as a world chief in AI readiness, with 80% of pros now frequently utilizing AI instruments of their work, in line with a LinkedIn survey. This marks a major enhance in office integration of AI options, with workers leveraging instruments to spice up productiveness, streamline duties and clear up complicated issues.
Within the UAE’s AI Age, Job Safety Beats Paychecks for 85% of Staff
Nevertheless, this speedy uptake comes with blended emotions. Whereas many embrace AI as an effectivity enhancer, the strain to adapt swiftly is mounting. Practically three-quarters of pros report treating AI upskilling nearly like a “second job”, reflecting the extent of effort wanted to maintain tempo with technological change. Extra knowledge from a separate Dubai authorities report exhibits that 55% of public sector workers fear about job displacement as a result of generative AI, at the same time as an awesome 94% categorical optimism concerning the expertise’s total influence on operations. The Dubai Authorities Human Sources Division (DGHR) report titled Generative AI Adoption Amongst Dubai Authorities Staff, launched in partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid College of Authorities (MBRSG) at Dubai AI Week 2025, carried out the examine on workers throughout 34 departments and confirmed 55% job displacement issues amid 94% optimism for operational beneficial properties.
Staff prioritise safety over salaries
This shift in employee sentiment is now evident in labour priorities. With AI instruments taking over an rising vary of duties, from knowledge evaluation to routine administrative work, workers are displaying a robust desire for job stability, even on the expense of upper wages. Analysts say that this displays a broader development the place long-term profession resilience and flexibility are valued above short-term earnings. Certainly, one notable development throughout the UAE and Saudi Arabia is that just about two-thirds of employees could be prepared to take a pay reduce in trade for AI upskilling alternatives, in line with a regional survey, a stark distinction to conventional workforce expectations. Oliver Wyman’s regional survey report confirmed that just about two-thirds of employees within the UAE (67%) and Saudi Arabia (70%) would settle for a pay reduce for AI upskilling alternatives, far above the worldwide common of 41%.This mid-2025 international examine of pros highlights the pragmatic shift in the direction of long-term profession resilience amid AI adoption.
Employers reply with new priorities
Human useful resource executives throughout GCC states now establish expertise acquisition, digital transformation and worker retention as their high priorities amid AI integration. The current trade examine, PwC Center East Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025, famous that 80% of regional HR professionals (together with recruiters) anticipate vital AI influence on jobs, with many groups investing in digital upskilling and function redesign to enrich AI techniques.
As AI Adoption Surges, UAE Staff Put Stability Forward of Wage
In different phrases, 80% of recruiters imagine that AI will have an effect on jobs within the area and plenty of HR groups are already adapting by investing in digital coaching and reshaping job roles to work in tandem with AI techniques. This aligns with broader GCC tendencies the place HR adapts by way of coaching to mitigate displacement dangers.On the similar time, UAE corporations are tasked with balancing technological development with workforce well-being. Whereas automation provides clear advantages in sectors like banking, logistics and public providers, the human influence (together with retraining, transitions into higher-skilled roles and equitable entry to alternatives) stays high of thoughts for each employers and workers.
What this implies for the way forward for work within the UAE
Specialists say that the UAE workforce’s shift in the direction of prioritising job safety isn’t just a reactive response to automation fears. It displays a strategic recalibration of profession planning, the place adaptability, steady studying and digital fluency have gotten core to employability.As AI continues to permeate industries, professionals are more and more investing in expertise that may complement, fairly than compete with, clever machines. This evolving mindset could properly outline the subsequent chapter of labor within the UAE, one the place human expertise and AI coexist and the place job stability stems not from standing nonetheless however from staying forward of technological change.
