The UAE has become the fastest-growing market globally for AI hiring, with demand accelerating sharply over the past year as momentum shifts toward the Gulf.
According to the RemotePass 2025 Hiring Report, AI-related hiring in the UAE rose from 32 per cent in 2023–24 to 48 per cent in 2024–25 — the strongest growth rate recorded across all tracked markets. The data points to a significant shift in where AI talent demand is scaling most rapidly, with Gulf economies entering a phase of accelerated adoption.
Egypt also recorded notable growth, with AI hiring rising 28 per cent in 2024–25. However, the UAE’s expansion outpaced all other markets, reinforcing its position as a rapidly growing hub for applied AI and data-driven innovation.
Role-specific data shows AI Engineer hiring increased 31 per cent, while Data Scientist roles rose 43 per cent year-on-year. The trend reflects growing enterprise AI deployment, fintech automation initiatives and investment in large-scale digital infrastructure projects across the UAE.
Saudi Arabia is following a similar trajectory, albeit at a steadier pace, as AI-related roles expand across both public and private sectors.
RemotePass co-founder and CEO Kamal Reggad said the findings signal a structural shift in workforce priorities across the region. AI, he noted, is no longer limited to innovation teams but is increasingly embedded within core business functions, making talent strategy central to competitive advantage.
While hiring demand is strongest in the Gulf, the broader MENA region remains critical in supplying talent. Egypt continues to lead overall tech hiring volume across key roles including software engineering, backend and frontend development, data science and quality assurance, underlining its status as the region’s largest tech talent exporter. Pakistan ranks second across several engineering categories, supported by a large and cost-effective developer base.
The data suggests a regional realignment in which the UAE and Saudi Arabia are emerging as primary centres of advanced AI hiring, backed by a wider MENA talent ecosystem.
Read: <a href="https://gulfbusiness.com/ai-hiring-what-recruiters-would-want-you-to-know/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>AI’s role in GCC recruitment: What hiring experts want you to understand