91% of UAE Professionals Plan to Stay as LinkedIn Finds a Workforce Betting on Long-Term Careers
The UAE is retaining an unusually high share of its professional workforce, with 91% of professionals saying they intend to continue living and working in the country over the next six to 12 months, according to new research from LinkedIn.
Of those surveyed, 66% said they definitely plan to stay, suggesting that the UAE’s appeal is extending beyond short-term employment opportunities toward longer-term career building. The research was based on a Censuswide survey of 625 professionals in the UAE, conducted between July 20 and August 10, 2026.
The findings come as the country continues to attract international talent and recover hiring momentum after volatility earlier in the year. LinkedIn and UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade data indicate that the UAE recorded one of the strongest post-pandemic hiring recoveries among major global markets in 2025, while early figures from June 2026 pointed to a renewed improvement in hiring and international talent flows.
Professionals want to stay — but many remain invisible online
The more revealing part of LinkedIn’s research is the gap between career confidence and professional networking.
While 96% of respondents said their professional network is important as artificial intelligence and rapid workplace change reshape careers, 74% said they frequently browse work-related content without actively participating.
That means many professionals recognize the value of networks but remain passive users of them.
Around 42% said they do not know where to begin when building professional relationships, while 41% said they are unsure how to turn networking into useful career connections. Another 40% worry they may inconvenience others or waste their time by reaching out, while 33% are concerned about being judged.
The hesitation appears to be partly linked to a lack of guidance. 58% of respondents said they had not received enough advice on how to build and develop a professional network.
The willingness to help is higher than many expect
LinkedIn’s data also suggests that professionals may be underestimating how receptive others are to career-related outreach.
Some 86% of respondents said they would be willing to respond to or support someone seeking professional help even if they did not know that person personally.
That creates an important contrast: professionals are often reluctant to approach others, yet the overwhelming majority say they would be open to helping someone who approached them.
The research also shows that skills remain the strongest perceived route to new opportunities. 39% said skills and experience give them the best chance of securing new career opportunities, compared with 25% who cited a broad professional network and 23% who pointed to online visibility.
But networking still appears to translate into tangible outcomes. Around 42% said online professional communities had helped expand their knowledge, while 41% said they had built a relationship that subsequently supported their career.
AI is making professional visibility more important
Najat Abdelhadi, LinkedIn’s MENA Career Expert, said the UAE continues to attract people seeking ambitious and longer-term careers, but noted that technical skills alone are becoming less sufficient in a rapidly changing labour market.
As AI changes job roles and the skills employers value, professional visibility and relationships are becoming more important, particularly for people entering the UAE workforce, moving between sectors or trying to reposition themselves for new roles.
That makes LinkedIn’s latest findings less about whether professionals want to remain in the UAE — the answer is overwhelmingly yes — and more about how they plan to build their careers once they stay.
The country appears to have succeeded in retaining talent. The next challenge for many of those professionals is turning skills, digital visibility and networks into the opportunities that make staying worthwhile.