Over 156,000 Emiratis working in private sector: Ministry

The workforce in the UAE recorded a growth exceeding 11% during 2024, with the proportion of skilled labour increasing by more than 13%, including over 156,000 citizens working in the private sector, as of the end of October 2025.

Additionally, private sector institutions witnessed a growth of more than 14%, reflecting the high confidence of business owners and investors, according to Dr Abdul Rahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the UAE Award for Excellence in the Labour Market.

Al Awar mentioned this during the awards ceremony for the winners of the third edition of the UAE Award for Pioneering in the Labour Market, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

Al Awar said, “Today's celebration of leading practices in the labour market contributes to achieving the vision of our wise leadership to build a competitive knowledge-based economy, develop the business environment, and shape the future economy, making the UAE one of the fastest-growing economies globally and achieving high performance rates.”

He added: All of this has contributed, thanks to the vision of our wise leadership, to the UAE labour market ranking first in many global competitiveness indicators, which fills us with pride and motivates us at the same time, as we strive to achieve more accomplishments in collaboration with the private sector and its employees with national and global competencies.