The foundit Insights Tracker (fit) for the Middle East reported a 11% year-on-year (YoY) increase in online recruitment activity in August 2025. Month-on-month (MoM) hiring rose by a modest 4%, reflecting steady but uneven growth across the region. Over the last six months, activity climbed 11%, supported by manufacturing, IT adoption, and education-linked hiring.
Hiring Trends – Industry Year-on-Year (YoY)
Top Gainers (YoY):
- Production & Manufacturing (+34%): Driven by industrial diversification and automotive demand.
- IT & Telecom/ISP (+33%): Boosted by digitalisation, cloud adoption, and AI investments.
- Engineering, Construction & Real Estate (+12%): Backed by large-scale infrastructure and real estate projects.
- Education (+16%): Sustained by skilling initiatives and private training demand.
- Hospitality (+8%): Benefiting from tourism flows and regional events.
Facing Headwinds (YoY):
- Retail/Trade & Logistics (-25%): Impacted by weaker consumer sentiment and global trade challenges.
- Oil & Gas (-23%): Continued volatility and reduced hiring in exploration.
- FMCG/Consumer Goods (-30%): Constrained by inflation and weaker consumption.
- Healthcare (-7%): Demand softened after pandemic-driven hiring peaks.
- Advertising/Media (-7%): Budget realignments favouring digital platforms.
Hiring Trends – Functional Area
Functional hiring activity showed clear polarisation, with HR/Admin and technical roles gaining while sales-driven roles contracted.
In Demand (YoY):
- HR & Admin (+30%): Companies doubled down on retention, compliance, and workforce transformation.
- Engineering & Production (+19%): Growth supported by manufacturing and infrastructure projects.
- Hospitality & Travel (+4%): Aligned with regional tourism recovery.
- Healthcare (+3%): Steady demand in core roles.
Declining Roles (YoY):
- Sales & Business Development (-1%): Hiring stagnated amid cautious business expansion.
- Finance & Accounts (-15%): Functions streamlined due to automation.
- Customer Service (-14%): Optimisation via digital channels reduced headcount.
- Marketing & Communications (-12%): Budget tightening and consolidation.
- Software/Hardware/Telecom (0%): Flat demand despite strong IT services growth.
Regional Highlights
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
Hiring activity in KSA contracted 10% YoY, dragged down by energy and media sectors.
- Strong performers: Production & Manufacturing (+52%), IT & Telecom (+39%).
- Facing declines: Oil & Gas (-40%), Advertising/Media (-41%).
- Occupational demand: Healthcare (+4%) and Hospitality (+3%) gained slightly, but Sales (-19%), Finance (-18%), and Software/Hardware/Telecom (-21%) saw steep falls.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
UAE posted a +14% YoY rise, signalling broad recovery across select industries.
- Strong performers: Education (+33%), Manufacturing (+26%), Engineering & Construction (+20%).
- Facing declines: BFSI (-32%), Retail/Logistics (-17%), Oil & Gas (-21%).
- Occupational demand: HR & Admin (+36%) and Healthcare (+3%) rose, while Sales (-43%), Finance (-21%), and Customer Service (-17%) sharply declined.
Kuwait
Kuwait emerged as the fastest-growing market, with +20% YoY and +6% MoM growth. Hiring gains were driven by Manufacturing and IT, underscoring the country’s diversification push.
Oman
Oman posted a steady +15% YoY increase, though MoM hiring remained flat. Gains came from Education and public sector-linked demand, keeping activity stable.
Bahrain
Bahrain maintained +16% YoY growth with hiring concentrated in Manufacturing and Real Estate, though BFSI hiring remained subdued.
Egypt
Egypt’s hiring contracted 6% YoY and 18% over 3 months, reflecting macroeconomic strain. BFSI and Retail led declines, while IT/Telecom offered some resilience.
Qatar
Qatar recorded a 10% YoY decline, with further 2% MoM contraction. Weakness was concentrated in Retail and Oil & Gas, delaying a full post-2024 recovery.
About the foundit Insights Tracker
The foundit Insights Tracker (fit), formerly known as the Monster Employment Index, offers a deep dive into online recruitment trends across the Middle East. Powered by millions of job listings, fit provides granular insights into industry shifts, functional demand, and regional hiring dynamics, enabling employers and jobseekers to anticipate market movements. Visit founditgulf.com for more.
