Gulf job market report: September 2026
Covers the 30 days to 30 September 2026. Published 1 October 2026. These numbers are frozen and will not change.
Key findings
- New jobs
- 20,277 new jobs were posted in the Gulf in September 2026, up 7% on the month before among employers we tracked in both months. 12,524 jobs closed over the same period, and 27,525 were open at the end of it.
- Fields
- Engineering & Technology had the most new jobs (1,219). Education & Training grew fastest, up 113% on the month before.
- Employers
- Marriott International posted the most new jobs (859). GEMS Education stepped up hiring the most, from 131 new jobs the month before to 345. ADNOC slowed the most, from 214 to 94.
- Skills
- The skill employers named most was Excel, in 1,265 new adverts. Demand for Lesson planning rose fastest, up 81%.
- Pay and access
- Only 10% of open jobs stated a salary. Entry-level and junior roles made up 18% of new jobs (16% the month before). 3% of new jobs were reserved for GCC nationals.
New jobs in the month
20,277
Jobs closed in the month
12,524
Jobs open at the end of the month
27,525
New and closed jobs, week by week
Complete weeks only, for employers we were already tracking at the start, so a new source never looks like a hiring spike.
Which fields are hiring
New jobs in the last 30 days, and the like-for-like change against the 30 days before.
| Field | Share | New jobs | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering & Technology | 1,219 | -6% | |
| Hospitality & Tourism | 908 | +14% | |
| Sales & Business Development | 839 | -2% | |
| Operations & Logistics | 571 | +38% | |
| Finance & Accounting | 538 | +13% | |
| Education & Training | 494 | +113% | |
| Construction & Engineering | 416 | +16% | |
| Executive & Management | 275 | +29% | |
| Marketing & Communications | 246 | +18% | |
| Healthcare & Medical | 237 | -12% | |
| Human Resources | 224 | +54% | |
| Administrative | 220 | +8% | |
| Legal & Compliance | 132 | +7% | |
| Customer Support | 116 | +40% | |
| Data & Analytics | 112 | -25% | |
| Product Management | 89 | -18% | |
| Design & Creative | 81 | -4% | |
| Real Estate & Property | 69 | too early to tell | |
| AI & Machine Learning | 22 | -54% |
Employers stepping up, and slowing down
New jobs in the last 30 days compared with the 30 days before, for employers we have tracked throughout. Recruitment agencies and job boards are left out.
Posting more
- GEMS Education131 345
- Rotana Hotels131 195
- Emirates Group0 52
- First Abu Dhabi Bank48 81
- Accenture4 31
Posting less
- ADNOC214 94
- Kerzner International158 79
- Delivery Hero (talabat)48 18
- Landmark Group125 103
- Jumeirah Group51 33
Skills employers ask for
The skills named most often in new adverts over the last 30 days. General soft skills are left out.
- 1Excel1,265
- 2Office1,038
- 3Project management904
- 4Inventory management885
- 5Data analysis786
- 6Budgeting763
- 7Regulatory compliance687
- 8Risk management685
- 9Client relationship management643
- 10Lead generation588
- 11Business development551
- 12Guest service544
- 13AutoCAD508
- 14Forecasting499
- 15Vendor management471
Rising fastest
Like-for-like change vs the previous 30 days, on at least 30 adverts.
- Lesson planning+81%
- Stock management+73%
- Portion control+72%
- Food preparation+71%
- Oracle+62%
- CRM systems+58%
- Outlook+57%
- Recruitment+55%
- Employee relations+53%
- Cross-selling+53%
What open jobs pay: our estimate
Most Gulf adverts don't state a salary, so these bands use our own estimate for each open job (the employer's figure when they give one). Individual estimates can be well off, so read this as the shape of the market, not a salary guide.
Open jobs by estimated monthly pay
- Under AED 5k15%
- AED 5k to 10k23%
- AED 10k to 20k31%
- AED 20k to 35k17%
- AED 35k and above15%
Estimate. 27,389 of 27,525 open jobs have a pay figure.
Adverts that state the pay
10%
Of jobs open now, the share where the employer published a salary. This one is a count, not an estimate.
Who the jobs are for
New jobs open to entry-level and junior candidates
18%
Last 30 days. The 30 days before: 16% (up 2 points).
New jobs reserved for GCC nationals
3%
Adverts that say the role is for Emirati, Saudi or other GCC nationals only. Last 30 days.
- Customer Support8%
- Administrative7%
- Construction & Engineering5%
- Legal & Compliance5%
- Finance & Accounting4%
Most active employers
By new jobs posted in the last 30 days.
- 1Marriott International859
- 2Hilton492
- 3Accor369
- 4GEMS Education348
- 5Rotana Hotels236
- 6IHG Hotels & Resorts231
- 7Radisson Hotel Group211
- 8Saudi Aramco195
- 9Parsons170
- 10AECOM167
Where the new jobs are
New jobs in the last 30 days, by city.
Cite this report
Free to quote under CC BY 4.0. Please credit JobXDubai with a link to this page.
JobXDubai, "Gulf job market report: September 2026", published 1 October 2026. https://jobxdubai.com/job-market/reports/gulf-job-market-september-2026
Source: <a href="https://jobxdubai.com/job-market/reports/gulf-job-market-september-2026">JobXDubai, Gulf job market report: September 2026</a>
How we count: see the methodology. Today's numbers: the live pulse. More months: all reports.