The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ramped up hiring activity across a number of different industry areas. The majority of this activity has occurred in the travel and tourism sector, largely coming from hotel chains and airline operators. Job postings have been increasing since January 2021, but has really picked up in July, finds GlobalData. According to the leading data and analytics company’s Job Analytics Database, job advertisements in the UAE have increased by 148% between July 2020 and July 2021.

Ajay Thalluri, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, says: “The World Expo, which will take place in Dubai in October 2021, will likely fetch the UAE over 25 million visitors. The country is also likely to host the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 cricketing event in September 2021. These two major events, combined with the recovering economy, have spurred hiring activity among leading hospitality companies in order to meet heightened service requirements.”

Accor Hotels leads companies tracked by GlobalData in terms of job postings that directly refer to Dubai Expo 2020 between July 2020 and July 2021, representing over 50%. The company is among the many that are hiring for the event. GlobalData’s Job Analytics database also shows that the company listed over 15% of total job postings in the UAE between July 2020 and July 2021. New hires are likely to facilitate operations across eight Accor hotels that are scheduled to open in 2021, one of which is close to Dubai World Trade Centre.

Another hospitality major, Marriott International, is accelerating job postings, with a rise from 36 jobs advertised in July 2020 to over 200 in July 2021. While the company is hiring in several cities such as Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Ain and Sharjah, around 70% of its total job postings between July 2020 and July 2021 were based in Dubai.

Thalluri adds: “Top hospitality companies such as Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Minor International, and Raddison Hotel Group have stepped up hiring in the UAE. The companies’ hires are mostly for cooks, waiters/waitresses and bartenders.”

Airline companies such as the Emirates Group and Wizz Air Holdings are also increasing hires. The Emirates Group looks to provide customer service solutions and is actively selling event tickets and related products at Expo 2020. Meanwhile, Wizz Air partnered with Abu Dhabi Development Holdings Company to operate a low-cost airline in early 2021. The company has listed around 250 jobs in the UAE since January 2021, most of which are for experienced cabin crew roles.

Interestingly, construction and software companies are listing jobs to make the most of the event. For instance, SAP SE is hiring for interns and temporary contract roles. The company is gearing up for the first public facing event with a 900 square meter floor space at Dubai Expo 2020. It has a dedicated ‘SAP Expo Program Director’ role to oversee marketing and branding activities. Siemens AG is another company that is providing infrastructure digitization at Expo 2020 venue. The company is hiring sizeable numbers, including interns, in the UAE.

Thalluri concludes: “The UAE has become a leading destination to host international events in the last few years. The country will host Dubai Expo 2020 after being elected in 2013 by the Bureau International des Expositions. The mega event that will be held over six months could positively impact hiring activity in the country.”