85% of UAE Workers Use AI at Work but Two-Thirds Fear Job Losses, Oliver Wyman Finds

The findings, published on Thursday in a report called 300,000 Voices – UAE Edition, put the UAE well ahead of other regions on adoption. In comparison, 72% of workers in North America and 66% in Europe use AI at work, according to the report. For employers in the Emirates, where the government has made AI adoption a national priority, the results point to a gap between how quickly staff have taken up the tools and how well companies have explained what the technology means for their jobs.

That gap is clearest in the communication figures. Only 26% of executives and 6% of front-line employees agreed that their organisation had set out a clear AI strategy and kept workers informed about its progress. Just 29% of non-managerial staff said their organisation was ready to adopt AI at scale.

"High adoption alone does not resolve concerns about job security," said Mona Hammami, partner and head of the UAE at Oliver Wyman. She said employers need to explain more clearly how AI will change roles and which skills employees will need. Hammami also argued that worries about job losses are largely a matter of perception rather than reality, and described AI as "a huge opportunity to unlock."

The survey suggests UAE workers are heavy and frequent users. Nearly half, 48%, use AI every day, compared with 21% across the international sample, and 63% use it at least three times a week. Fifty-six percent said AI had made them more productive, and 54% said it had improved their work-life balance. Forty-two percent said they would prefer an AI colleague or manager to a human one, against 28% globally.

Overall, 75% of UAE employees said they were satisfied with their jobs, compared with 66% internationally, though only a quarter said they felt fulfilled at work. Fifty-one percent want leadership training, while 34% said their employer offers it.

Use of AI extends well beyond the office. Eight in ten UAE respondents have used AI for healthcare, such as finding providers or deciding where to seek care, compared with 65% globally. AI users were less likely than non-users to see a primary care doctor first, at 27% against 38%. Around two-thirds of respondents in both lower- and higher-income groups use AI to guide their investments, and 78% have used AI to find and buy products.

The report draws on 5,285 UAE participants surveyed in several rounds as part of a five-year programme that has gathered nearly 300,000 responses across 20 markets. Most of the UAE findings were collected in 2025, with a further survey of 503 people in April 2026. That timing means the results predate the regional conflict and market turmoil of recent months, and it is unclear whether attitudes towards AI and job security have shifted since then.