AI Is Reshaping Jobs Across the UAE and GCC Rather Than Eliminating Them

Concerns about AI causing widespread job losses in the UAE and GCC have declined over the past year, while organisations are increasingly changing how jobs are structured, according to Cooper Fitch’s AI & the Future of Talent 2027 report.

The report shows that 14 per cent of respondents expect AI-related reductions in roles over the next 12 to 24 months, compared with 31 per cent in the previous year’s survey.

Rather than removing positions completely, organisations are increasingly combining tasks and responsibilities. About 22 per cent of respondents said role consolidation is already happening within their organisations, while another 41 per cent are considering it.

AI adoption has also expanded. Nearly two-thirds of respondents now report adoption at the functional level or higher, compared with around 19 per cent reporting functional adoption in the previous survey. Across the UAE and GCC, 44 per cent of organisations report using AI for specific applications, while 8 per cent say AI has been fully integrated across their operations.

However, AI governance is not developing at the same pace. The report states that 57 per cent of organisations either have no formal AI governance framework or are still operating with an informal and developing approach.

Among GCC regional companies, the figure rises to 81 per cent. Only 10 per cent of GCC respondents say they have fully established AI governance, despite 97 per cent reporting some level of AI adoption.