Here’s a counterintuitive finding that challenges conventional wisdom about AI and employment: the UAE and Saudi Arabia will need more than 1.5 million additional workers by 2030—not despite artificial intelligence, but alongside it.
A 2025 global workforce study conducted jointly by ServiceNow and Pearson analyzed thousands of job roles and millions of job advertisements across multiple markets. The conclusion contradicts the narrative that AI will create mass unemployment. Instead, the research shows that in rapidly expanding economies, AI creates productivity gains that enable even faster growth—which sustains and even increases demand for human workers.
This has profound implications for workforce planning, migration policy, skills development, and how organizations in the Gulf should think about the relationship between automation and hiring.
The Numbers That Tell the Story
The growth projections are striking when compared to developed economies:
UAE workforce growth: 12.1% by 2030, making it among the fastest-growing labor markets globally
Saudi Arabia workforce growth: 11.6% by 2030, driven by Vision 2030 reform programs
United States growth: 2.1% by 2030
United Kingdom growth: 2.8% by 2030
These aren’t marginal differences—Gulf labor markets are expanding at roughly 4-5 times the pace of major Western economies. And this is happening during the same period when AI capabilities are advancing most rapidly.
Why? Because economic expansion is outpacing automation’s labor-saving effects.
Vision 2030: The Demand Driver
Saudi Arabia’s workforce demand stems directly from the Vision 2030 reform program, which represents one of the most ambitious national transformation initiatives globally.
The program includes major investments across multiple sectors:
Construction and infrastructure: Mega-projects like NEOM, the Red Sea Project, Qiddiya entertainment city, and Diriyah Gate require massive construction workforces—engineers, project managers, skilled tradespeople, equipment operators, and support staff.
Tourism development: Building hotels, attractions, cultural sites, and hospitality infrastructure to achieve targets of 100 million annual visitors requires both construction workers initially and hospitality workers permanently.
Manufacturing expansion: Establishing new industrial zones and diversifying beyond oil requires factory workers, technicians, quality control specialists, and supply chain professionals.
Logistics infrastructure: New ports, airports, rail networks, and distribution centers need transport workers, logistics coordinators, warehouse staff, and technology operators.
New economic zones: Special economic zones designed to attract foreign investment require workforces across manufacturing, services, technology, and administration.
The study estimates that without productivity gains from AI, Saudi Arabia would require around 650,000 additional workers just to meet expansion targets. Even accounting for automation, a significant labor gap persists—meaning AI isn’t eliminating jobs faster than economic growth creates them.
UAE’s Even Faster Trajectory
The UAE’s 12.1% projected workforce growth reflects several accelerating trends:
Technology and digital transformation emphasis: Rather than replacing workers, the UAE’s push into AI, blockchain, smart cities, and digital government is creating new job categories—data scientists, AI trainers, digital transformation consultants, cybersecurity specialists, and technology integrators.
Diversification beyond oil: Expanding into finance, tourism, logistics, technology, and renewable energy creates jobs across multiple sectors rather than concentrating employment in a single industry.
Regional hub positioning: The UAE’s role as a Middle East hub for business, finance, logistics, and tourism drives demand for professional services, hospitality, transport, and support functions.
Population growth and quality of life investments: Expanding healthcare, education, retail, and recreational services to support growing populations requires workers even as some tasks get automated.
Why AI Isn’t Reducing Net Labor Demand
The conventional narrative suggests AI should reduce workforce needs by automating human tasks. So why does the opposite appear to be happening in the Gulf?
1. AI Enables Economic Expansion That Creates More Jobs Than It Eliminates
AI-driven productivity gains allow organizations to do more with existing resources—which means they can pursue more ambitious growth targets. A construction company using AI for project planning and resource optimization doesn’t shrink its workforce; it takes on more projects and needs more workers to execute them.
Similarly, a government using AI to streamline citizen services doesn’t eliminate civil servants; it can expand service offerings and reach more people with the same administrative overhead.
2. Automation Handles Routine Tasks, Humans Do Higher-Value Work
AI is particularly effective at automating repetitive, rules-based tasks—data entry, routine scheduling, basic calculations, initial customer inquiry handling. But this frees human workers to focus on activities requiring judgment, creativity, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills.
In practice, this means job transformation more than job elimination. A customer service representative might handle fewer routine inquiries (AI chatbots handle those) but spend more time on complex issues requiring empathy and creative problem-solving. A logistics coordinator might spend less time on manual scheduling (AI optimizes routes) but more time on strategic planning and exception handling.
3. New Job Categories Emerge Alongside Automation
AI deployment creates entirely new roles that didn’t exist before:
- AI trainers and supervisors who ensure automated systems perform correctly
- Data quality specialists who maintain the clean datasets AI requires
- AI ethics and compliance officers who ensure responsible deployment
- Human-AI collaboration designers who optimize how people work alongside machines
- Automation exception handlers who manage cases AI can’t process
- Digital transformation change managers who help organizations adapt
These aren’t just technical roles—they span HR, operations, compliance, customer service, and management.
4. Rapid Economic Growth Sustains Labor Demand Across Multiple Sectors
The study identifies sectors expected to continue strong hiring in both UAE and Saudi Arabia:
Construction: Physical building remains labor-intensive even with improved tools and planning
Transport and logistics: Moving goods and people requires human operators, coordinators, and customer-facing staff
Healthcare: Patient care, complex diagnostics, and personalized treatment resist full automation
Hospitality: Guest experience depends heavily on human interaction and service
Retail: Despite e-commerce growth, physical retail and customer service remain significant
Education: Teaching, mentoring, and personalized learning require human educators
Energy: Transition to renewable energy creates installation, maintenance, and engineering jobs
Financial services: Complex advisory, relationship management, and specialized analysis remain human-intensive
Information technology: Expanding digital infrastructure creates technical, support, and development roles
Automation improves productivity in all these sectors, but rapid expansion means absolute worker demand continues growing.
Implications for International Workers
The findings are particularly significant for workers from countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and others who comprise large portions of Gulf workforces.
Overseas employment opportunities will continue through 2030 and likely beyond, especially for workers with:
Trade skills: Electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, HVAC technicians needed for construction and infrastructure projects
Technical training: Equipment operators, maintenance technicians, IT support specialists who can work with modern tools and systems
Digital literacy: Basic computer skills, familiarity with digital platforms, ability to work with software and apps increasingly required across sectors
Service sector experience: Hospitality, retail, customer service skills remain in demand as these sectors expand
Professional qualifications: Engineers, healthcare professionals, educators, financial specialists needed for expanding services
The Skills Shift Matters
However, the report emphasizes that countries and workers investing in training and reskilling will be better positioned to benefit from job creation. The demand isn’t simply for more of the same roles—it’s for workers who can operate effectively in technology-enhanced environments.
A construction worker who understands how to use AI-powered project management tools is more valuable than one who doesn’t. A customer service representative who can collaborate effectively with AI chatbots (handling escalations, providing quality oversight, managing complex cases) is more employable than one who views automation as threatening rather than enabling.
What This Means for Gulf Organizations
For businesses and government entities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the research suggests several strategic imperatives:
Don’t Delay Automation Fearing Job Losses
Organizations sometimes hesitate to deploy AI and automation out of concern about workforce displacement or social impact. The Gulf context suggests this concern is misplaced—economic growth is creating more jobs than automation eliminates.
The real risk is falling behind competitors who leverage AI for productivity gains, enabling them to scale faster and capture market share. Delayed automation means delayed growth, which ultimately limits job creation.
Invest in Reskilling Alongside Automation
While net job demand is growing, the nature of jobs is changing. Organizations should invest in helping existing workers adapt to technology-enhanced roles rather than assuming they can simply hire new workers with different skills.
Training programs that help workers use AI tools, interpret automated insights, and focus on higher-value tasks protect existing employees while building organizational capability.
Plan for Continued Hiring—But Different Profiles
Workforce planning shouldn’t assume AI will reduce hiring needs. Instead, plan for continued growth but with evolving skill requirements. Hiring strategies should emphasize:
- Adaptability and learning orientation over narrow technical skills
- Comfort working alongside AI and automated systems
- Ability to handle judgment-heavy, creative, or interpersonal tasks
- Technical literacy even in traditionally non-technical roles
Collaborate on Talent Pipeline Development
The 1.5 million worker shortfall by 2030 won’t resolve itself. Organizations should work with governments, educational institutions, and source countries to develop talent pipelines that match projected demand:
- Vocational training programs aligned to Gulf market needs
- Digital literacy and technology adoption curricula
- Certification programs recognized across borders
- Clear pathways for skill validation and qualification recognition
Broader Implications for AI and Employment
The Gulf experience offers insights relevant beyond the Middle East:
Economic context matters more than technology capabilities. In high-growth environments, even rapid automation doesn’t eliminate net labor demand. Developed economies with slower growth may experience different dynamics.
Job transformation ≠ job elimination. Most automation changes what workers do rather than eliminating their positions entirely. Understanding this distinction is crucial for workforce planning.
Complementarity between AI and humans creates opportunity. The most valuable workers are those who can effectively collaborate with AI systems, not those who can do everything AI can do.
Skills development is strategic infrastructure. Countries and organizations that invest in continuous learning and adaptation will capture more value from both economic growth and technological advancement.
The Bottom Line
The narrative that AI will create mass unemployment oversimplifies a complex dynamic. In rapidly expanding economies like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, AI is a productivity enabler that supports even faster growth—which sustains and increases labor demand across multiple sectors.
The Gulf will need 1.5 million additional workers by 2030 not despite AI, but because AI enables the ambitious economic expansion that drives that demand.
For workers, this means opportunity—but opportunity that increasingly requires adaptability, digital literacy, and willingness to work alongside automated systems. For organizations, it means continued hiring needs alongside automation deployment. For policymakers, it means investing in skills development and talent pipeline infrastructure to match growing demand.
The future of work in the Gulf isn’t humans versus machines. It’s humans and machines working together to build economies growing faster than automation can replace them.
And that’s a fundamentally different story than the one dominating headlines about AI and employment.
How is your organization balancing automation deployment with workforce planning? Are you seeing AI reduce hiring needs or enable growth that increases them? Share your experience in the comments.
Ali Tahir is a growth-focused marketing leader working across fintech, digital payments, AI, and SaaS ecosystems.
He specializes in turning complex technologies into clear, scalable business narratives.
Ali writes for founders and operators who value execution over hype.