Dubai: All those new companies launching in the UAE are creating a mini-boom when it comes to hiring staff to man those swanky new offices. Not only that, but this is also feeding the high demand for HR personnel to oversee these operations.
Salary growth for these positions may not be growing at the same pace as demand – but that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue for now.
“There is a flood of new residents in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and more of them are in their late 20’s or early 30’s,” said a senior manager at a hiring firm. “It’s from their ranks that many of the vacancies for front-office and other office-based positions are getting filled.
“Each new office that opens in Dubai creates its own set of requirements.”
What hiring managers are saying is that while AI and technology roles are getting all of the limelight, a lot of activity is happening in parallel related to a variety of office roles. “You don’t see a slow down happening in new business creation in the UAE in 2025 – and that means more demand to staff offices,” said a hiring manager, who added that the company recently received more than 20 applicants for a mid-level admin role. “The best part is that the position wasn’t even advertised,” he added.
Salary bands
According to data from Innovations Group, general office management, customer service, and admin positions typically pay between Dh4,000 and Dh8,000 a month. Of course, pay can vary based on factors such as company size, job responsibilities, and experience.
“Based on market data and anecdotal evidence, we estimate a growth of approximately 15-20% in office staff roles, particularly in Dubai, as new companies set up operations and established businesses scale their teams,” said Ravi Jethwani, CEO of Innovations. “The demand for skilled office support roles – such as admin assistants, HR professionals, and finance staff – remains strong as companies focus on operational efficiency and talent retention.”
Hiring experts agree with this sentiment and rate 2025 as offering more of the same sort of growth patterns for office staff.
Own visa or temping?
With office positions, the trend continues to be to outsource where possible. It makes sense for newly set up companies to opt for this to keep their HR costs down – and not use up visas on what are essentially non-core roles.
“There is significant demand for temporary staff, especially for roles that are more project-based or seasonal,” said Jethwani. “Many startups and SMEs – who may not want to commit to long-term employment contracts initially – are opting for temporary staff or outsourcing certain roles.
“These companies may prefer working with recruitment agencies to manage temporary or contract staff on their behalf, thus allowing them more flexibility and cost-efficiency during the initial stages of their operations.”
‘Structured contracts’
Another emerging trend is offering structured contracts even for temporary office roles.
“While traditionally, many temp roles were offered without formal contracts, we are now seeing more companies opting to offer fixed-term contracts,” said Jethwani. “This trend has been driven by several factors, such as project-based work, the growing demand for specific skills, and the need for better workforce stability in a competitive market.
