UAE workforce grows to 9.4m, unemployment falls to new low

PEOPLE AGED 30-39 ACCOUNT FOR LARGEST SHARE OF EMPLOYED POPULATION

- BY ABDULLA RASHEED

The private sector accounts for 85 per cent of the UAE's workforce, employing 7.8 million individuals aged 15 and above, including 6.7 million males and one million females.

(Virendra Saklani/Gulf News Archives)

The UAE's workforce grew to 9.4 million in 2024, with 9.2 million people employed (7.5 million males and 1.7 million females), according to the 2024 Labour Force Survey conducted by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC).

Economic participation also increased and the unemployment rate declined to 1.9 per cent, compared to 2.1 per cent in 2023. The global average is 4.9 per cent, making the UAE one of the countries with the lowest unemployment, according to International Labour Organisation estimates.