{"id":49442,"date":"2026-01-08T13:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T08:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/?p=49442"},"modified":"2026-05-08T17:41:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:11:44","slug":"foundit-insights-tracker-gulf-nov-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/foundit-insights-tracker-gulf-nov-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East\u00a0Hiring Landscape in November 2025:\u00a0foundit\u00a0Insights Tracker\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Overview of Hiring Activity<\/strong><p>Hiring activity across the Gulf accelerated sharply in November 2025, with the&nbsp;foundit&nbsp;Insights Tracker (fit) recording a&nbsp;<strong>40% year-on-year increase<\/strong>,&nbsp;signalling&nbsp;a broad-based rebound in employer hiring confidence.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Month-on-month hiring rose by&nbsp;<strong>14%<\/strong>, while both the&nbsp;<strong>3-month and 6-month trends stood at +25%<\/strong>,&nbsp;indicating&nbsp;sustained momentum rather than a short-term spike. Growth continues to be anchored by technology, manufacturing, education, hospitality, and HR-led expansion, supported by diversification agendas, digital adoption, and workforce restructuring across the region.&nbsp;<\/p><div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file aligncenter\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/07_fit_Gulf_Nov_25.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:650px\" aria-label=\"Embed of &lt;strong&gt;Gulf Hiring Trends in&nbsp; Nov 2025&nbsp;&lt;\/strong&gt;.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-b6ab4e1a-f2f0-4041-8329-008f52af6cc2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/07_fit_Gulf_Nov_25.pdf\"><strong>Gulf Hiring Trends in&nbsp; Nov 2025&nbsp;<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/07_fit_Gulf_Nov_25.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-b6ab4e1a-f2f0-4041-8329-008f52af6cc2\">Download<\/a><\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hiring Trends by Industry (YoY change)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2><p>A majority of tracked industries recorded positive annual growth in November, with technology-led sectors clearly outperforming traditional and consumer-sensitive segments.&nbsp;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In demand<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/search\/it-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">IT <\/a>&amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/search\/and-telecom-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Telecom<\/a>\/ISP (+47%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Technology hiring&nbsp;remains&nbsp;the strongest growth driver, backed by cloud migration, cybersecurity needs, AI integration, and large-scale digital transformation initiatives across Gulf economies.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Production\/Manufacturing, Automotive &amp; Ancillary (+36%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Industrial expansion under&nbsp;localisation&nbsp;and diversification&nbsp;programmes&nbsp;continues to fuel demand for engineers, operations professionals, and&nbsp;supply-chain&nbsp;talent.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Hospitality (+15%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Tourism recovery, event-led demand, and expanding hotel pipelines are translating into steady hiring growth across operations, services, and travel-linked roles.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Education (+14%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Private school expansion, higher enrolments, and demand for&nbsp;specialised&nbsp;educators are supporting consistent hiring momentum.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Engineering, Construction &amp; Real Estate (+12%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Infrastructure development and urban expansion projects are sustaining demand across civil engineering, project execution, and site-level roles.&nbsp;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Facing challenges<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p><strong>Consumer Goods &amp; FMCG (&minus;15%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Hiring&nbsp;remains&nbsp;under pressure due to margin constraints, cautious consumer spending, and&nbsp;rationalised&nbsp;expansion plans.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/search\/oil-and-gas-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Oil &amp; Gas<\/a> (&minus;18%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Moderation continues amid conservative upstream investment and a gradual pivot toward renewable and energy-transition projects.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/search\/healthcare-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Healthcare <\/a>(&minus;4%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Despite being a structurally essential sector, hiring&nbsp;remains&nbsp;muted due to cost&nbsp;optimisation, consolidation, and increased reliance on technology-enabled care delivery.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Hiring Trends by Functional Area (YoY change)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2><p>Functional hiring trends highlight strong demand for people-centric and operational roles, while finance and support functions&nbsp;remain&nbsp;under pressure.&nbsp;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In demand<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p><strong>HR &amp; Admin (+24%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Workforce&nbsp;nationalisation, compliance requirements, HR&nbsp;digitisation, and&nbsp;organisational&nbsp;restructuring are driving strong demand for HR business partners, TA, and L&amp;D professionals.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Hospitality &amp; Travel (+18%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Sector recovery is translating into healthy hiring across frontline operations, services, and customer-facing roles.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Customer Service (+14%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Growth reflects expanding service-oriented businesses and increased focus on customer experience.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Sales &amp; Business Development (+12%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Revenue-led roles are seeing steady hiring as companies&nbsp;prioritise&nbsp;growth and market expansion.&nbsp;<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Facing challenges<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/search\/finance-jobs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Finance <\/a>&amp; Accounts (&minus;9%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Automation, ERP adoption, and tighter cost controls continue to suppress demand for traditional finance roles.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Engineering &amp; Production (+10%)<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>While positive overall, hiring&nbsp;remains&nbsp;selective and project-driven rather than broad-based.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Country Highlights<\/strong><\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saudi Arabia (KSA)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p>Overall hiring in KSA remained&nbsp;<strong>flat year-on-year<\/strong>&nbsp;in November 2025.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Top performer:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Production\/Manufacturing, Automotive &amp; Ancillary (+95%)<\/strong>, driven by Vision 2030-linked&nbsp;industrialisation,&nbsp;localisation&nbsp;mandates, and manufacturing capacity build-out.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Lowest performer:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Education (&minus;58%)<\/strong>, reflecting slower school expansion cycles and skill mismatches.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Finance &amp; Accounts (&minus;30%)<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>IT &amp; Telecom (+38%)<\/strong>&nbsp;indicate&nbsp;a clear shift toward operational and technology-led hiring over traditional support functions.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>United Arab Emirates (UAE)<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h3><p>The UAE posted a robust&nbsp;<strong>33% annual increase<\/strong>&nbsp;in hiring, reinforcing its position as a key regional growth engine.&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Top performers:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Engineering, Construction &amp; Real Estate (+44%)<\/strong>, supported by infrastructure and urban development projects&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>HR &amp; Admin (+28%)<\/strong>, driven by&nbsp;Emiratisation, compliance, and HR tech adoption&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Others (+37%)<\/strong>, reflecting diversified hiring across emerging sectors&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><p><strong>Under pressure:<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>BFSI (&minus;27%)<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Oil &amp; Gas (&minus;22%)<\/strong>, due to selective hiring and efficiency-led workforce planning&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Retail &amp; Logistics (&minus;9%)<\/strong>, reflecting demand volatility and cautious expansion&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why the Hiring Trends Look This Way<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h2><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Technology and Industrial Strength<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>IT, manufacturing, and engineering continue to&nbsp;benefit&nbsp;from diversification agendas, digital investments, and infrastructure spending.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>People and Productivity Focus<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>HR, sales, and customer-facing roles are gaining prominence as&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;prioritise&nbsp;efficiency, compliance, and revenue generation.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Caution in Cost-Sensitive Sectors<\/strong>&nbsp;<br>Finance, FMCG, and traditional energy roles&nbsp;remain&nbsp;under pressure as employers&nbsp;optimise&nbsp;costs and reassess workforce structures.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the&nbsp;foundit&nbsp;Insights Tracker<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2><p>The&nbsp;foundit&nbsp;Insights Tracker (fit) Gulf &mdash; formerly the Monster Employment Index &mdash; is a leading indicator of online hiring activity across the region. By&nbsp;analysing&nbsp;millions of job postings each month, fit delivers&nbsp;timely, actionable insights into recruitment trends across industries, functions, and geographies.<\/p><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview of Hiring ActivityHiring activity across the Gulf accelerated sharply in November 2025, with the&nbsp;foundit&nbsp;Insights Tracker (fit) recording a&nbsp;40% year-on-year increase,&nbsp;signalling&nbsp;a broad-based rebound in employer hiring confidence.&nbsp;Month-on-month hiring rose by&nbsp;14%, while both the&nbsp;3-month and 6-month trends stood at +25%,&nbsp;indicating&nbsp;sustained momentum rather than a short-term spike. Growth continues to be anchored by technology, manufacturing, education, hospitality, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/foundit-insights-tracker-gulf-nov-2025\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Middle East\u00a0Hiring Landscape in November 2025:\u00a0foundit\u00a0Insights Tracker\u00a0<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights-tracker"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49442"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49444,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49442\/revisions\/49444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.founditgulf.com\/career-advice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}