Emirati Women Hold 57% of Emirati IT Jobs in UAE Private Sector, Ministry Report Shows

The report also gives a picture of the wider labour market. The UAE workforce grew 12.4% in 2025 and 2.3% in the third quarter of 2026. The number of establishments rose 7.8% last year but fell 0.9% in the third quarter of this year. Young people made up 54% of the total workforce at the end of that period.

The figures matter for employers working towards Emiratisation targets in technical roles. They suggest that Emirati women make up most of the national talent in skilled, specialised and digital jobs in the private sector. Emirati women hold 54.7% of the leadership positions filled by Emiratis and 71.7% of Emiratis' technical and specialised jobs, according to statistics obtained by Gulf News.

Across the private-sector workforce as a whole, which is mostly expatriate, women's shares are lower in technology and management. Women hold 38.1% of IT jobs and 18.4% of leadership positions, and 45.7% of women in the workforce are classed as skilled. They make up 74.5% of employees in education-related jobs and 66.9% in healthcare professions. Only 36.4% of establishments employ women, according to the data.

In private education and healthcare, Emirati women account for 94.1% of Emiratis in education-related professions and 91.6% of those in healthcare jobs.

The ministry also used its latest Labour Market magazine to set out limits on employers' disciplinary powers. Aisha Ahmed Al Hammadi, acting head of the ministry's litigation and grievances section, wrote that any penalty must be proportionate to the violation and come after an investigation in which the employee has a chance to be heard. Article 39 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations sets out penalties ranging from written notices and warnings to dismissal. Dismissed employees keep their right to an end-of-service gratuity under the law.

"An employer's authority to organise and regulate work is not absolute; it must be exercised within the limits established by law," Al Hammadi wrote.