Employment opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI) are expanding rapidly across the United Arab Emirates, with professionals who possess AI skills earning significantly higher salaries than many other workers, according to a new report.

The PwC 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer found that employees with AI-related expertise can earn up to 92% more than workers without those skills in certain industries, highlighting the growing value of AI in the job market.

According to the report, the share of job vacancies in the UAE requiring AI skills increased from 1% in 2021 to 3.2% in 2025. This strong growth helped the UAE improve its global ranking for AI-related employment from 21st to 13th during the same period.

The number of AI-related job advertisements also rose sharply, increasing from around 4,600 in 2021 to 12,200 in 2025, reflecting rising demand across multiple sectors.

The report noted that employers are no longer seeking only AI developers and engineers. Companies are increasingly looking for professionals in finance, marketing, human resources, consulting and other fields who can effectively use AI tools in their daily work.

PwC also projected that overall workforce demand in the UAE and Saudi Arabia could increase by 11% by 2030, while organisations adopting AI technologies may experience productivity gains of up to 40%.

Experts say AI is transforming the nature of work rather than replacing jobs, creating better career prospects, higher salaries and new opportunities for workers who develop AI-related skills.