A brief overview of how UAE is preparing its citizen in tech skilling and for jobs market?

The UAE's technological and business landscape is evolving. And with this, the demand for tech roles is also shifting. According to U.S.-based consulting firm Korn Ferry, the demand for skilled workers exceeds the supply. If this is not addressed UAE could miss out on US$14.46 billion by this year, and $50.55 billion a decade later. Fortunately, despite the fallout of 2020 pandemic, the demand for prominent tech roles is still on the rise in the UAE region. As markets are slowly going back to normalcy, across the globe, a dynamic change is also observed in tech skills preferred by companies. This trend is also mirrored in the UAE.

The continuous growth of companies in the UAE for over the past decade, has witnessed tremendous growth. Dubai, which is deemed as Silicon Valley of the Middle East. Since, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the creation of the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in October 2017, there has been huge initiatives to strengthen the AI market in the region. The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 aims at positioning the UAE as a global leader in artificial intelligence by 2031, and to develop an integrated system that employs artificial intelligence in vital areas in the UAE. With emphasis on sectors like transport, health, space, renewable energy, water, technology, education, environment, and traffic, artificial intelligence jobs will also shoot up in these fields. Under this strategy plan, it is certain that more people will be hired to guarantee the completion of the process.

As per LinkedIn's Emerging Jobs Report 2019, the top emerging jobs in UAE are:

• Data Scientist

• Full Stack Engineer

• Customer Success Specialist

• Tax Specialist

• Learning Support Assistant

• Digital Marketing Specialist

• Content Specialist

• Cyber Security Specialist

• Digital Specialist

• Android Developer

• Analytics Specialist

• Commerce Manager

• Chief Marketing Officer

• Technology Specialist

• Technical Specialist

The report states that 11 out of the 15 most coveted jobs of 2020 are tech and digital-related. This year, during the pandemic, forced lockdown, a 62% drop in hiring was observed in between March-May, compared to last year April's data. Fortunately, the hiring rate began to rise again steadily in late June and July when the lockdown was lifted. The software and IT sector noticed a 44% increase in the share of job postings for the period of May-July 2020 against data from the previous year.

As per 2016, LinkedIn data on top tech skills were statistical analysis and data mining, algorithm design, web architecture and development framework, middleware and integration software, and user interface design.

According to Coursera 2020 Global Skills Index (GSI), the UAE is on the right course to developed capabilities in both business and tech. However, it is trailing behind in data science skills. It ranks fourth in the Middle East and Africa and 50th globally, with 17% skills proficiency. This implies there is a scarcity of skills possessed by data scientists in the region. A Microsoft commissioned research report titled 'Future of Work Skills', has also found though around 90% of organizations in the UAE are in the process of implementing their digital transformation initiatives, there remains a gap in the depth of digital experience and skills needed to support these ambitious journeys.

Meanwhile, to address the talent and skilling gap in UAE, companies like Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, and Huawei have curated special targeted programmes that will significantly reduce this gap, especially in the graduates who are entering the workforces. For instance, Huawei tied up with Ajman University (AU) to deliver training and certification programs to the university's students via the Huawei Authorized Information and Network Academy program (HAINA). The step aims at further building the ICT capacity and expertise in Ajman, and the UAE as a whole, by up-skilling local talent. Even cloud service delivery platform RackNap partnered with several IT industry and educational establishments to train people on,  IT coding principles, software engineering, security and more, and make them industry-ready.

Though the priority is on artificial intelligence and data science, it does not mean that other tech sectors are ignored. E.g. In a study, published in 2018 by IDC, the market research company had projected that the growing use of cloud services and the Microsoft ecosystem would create more than 55,000 jobs in the UAE between 2017 and 2022. Further, to lead the companies towards the digital age, business leaders have also expressed on honing soft skills like leadership, networking and team player qualities.

The global recruitment consultancy Robert Half had interviewed over 75 CFO and amassed 200 responses from hiring managers in UAE for its 2020 Salary Guide. As per the data collected, the top three employable skills that hiring managers will be looking for in the digital future in the UAE are technological understanding (63%), communication skills (52%) and technical know-how (51%).