UAE & GCC Hiring Rebounds After Ceasefire as Real Estate, Finance Lead Job Growth

Hiring activity across the UAE and Gulf countries rebounded strongly in April 2026 after slowing sharply during the regional conflict earlier this year.

According to recruitment and HR advisory firm:

• Cooper Fitch

recruitment activity recovered after the:

• April 8 ceasefire announcement

between:

• the US
• Israel
• Iran

Hiring Market Recovery

The report showed:

• GCC hiring contracted 12% in March 2026

which became:

• the sharpest hiring slowdown during the conflict period.

However:

• recruitment rebounded by 13% in April

as businesses restarted:

• expansion plans
• hiring pipelines
• paused projects

The survey noted that:

• companies focused on operational continuity during the conflict
• approval cycles slowed
• travel and tourism sectors were heavily affected

before hiring momentum returned after the ceasefire.

Top Hiring Sectors in UAE & GCC

Real Estate

The strongest hiring growth came from:

• Real Estate

driven by:

• large-scale developments
• commercial expansion
• residential project delivery

Companies mainly hired for:

• Project Management
• Commercial Roles
• Delivery Operations

Finance

Finance became the:

• second-fastest growing hiring sector

with rising demand for:

• Financial Planning
• Treasury
• Governance
• Tax Specialists

Other Growing Sectors

HR & Banking

Both sectors recorded solid growth due to:

• nationalisation initiatives
• compliance requirements
• employee development
• governance expansion

Technology

Technology hiring continued growing modestly with focus on:

• AI integration
• Cybersecurity
• Data Infrastructure
• Platform Optimisation

rather than broad digital transformation hiring seen in previous years.

Energy & Public Sector

Both sectors also recorded:

• stable hiring growth

during the recovery period.

Sectors Facing Pressure

The report noted weaker hiring in:

• Manufacturing
• Sales & Marketing

with Sales & Marketing recording:

• the largest decline

during the survey period.