• The Forum was held during the World Governments Summit with prominent global leaders and experts in attendance.

As part of the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2026, the Future of Work Forum held its third edition today, organised by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) in coordination with the WGS Organisation.

The forum forms part of the UAE’s efforts to anticipate rapid developments transforming labour markets, enhance resilience and strategic partnerships, and develop policies that keep pace with the requirements of the future economy.

The event featured inspiring discussions across four sessions, with His Excellency Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, attending and participating, alongside a number of Ministers of Labour, Human Resources, and Employment, as well as prominent decision makers, leaders, experts, and academics from around the world. Heads of international organisations, leaders of major global technology corporations, and representatives of the World Bank were also present.

During his participation in a panel discussion titled ‘Governments in a Era of Transformation: How Labour Markets Are Governed Today’, H.E. Al Awar stated that the government’s role in steering the labour market has undergone a radical shift, where it is no longer limited to regulation and reaction, but has progressed to anticipation, empowerment, and proactive guidance of market outcomes in light of rapid global transformations driven by emerging technologies, new work models, and demographic changes.

The UAE has adopted an approach aimed at building a dynamic and resilient labour market, he explained, citing the UAE’s exceptional performance across key labour market indicators over the past five years, including a workforce growth exceeding 101%, a rise of more than 49% in skilled workers, and an increase of over 45% in the number of companies. Women’s participation in the labour market also grew by more than 101%, while the number of Emiratis joining the private sector rose by around 394% over the same period. These figures, he noted, reflects growing confidence in the UAE’s approach, adding that these indicators also serve as a foundation for shaping policies and define priorities for inspection and skills planning.

His Excellency revealed that regulation has shifted from uniform control to targeted interventions based on risk assessment, which allows for supporting growth while maintaining standards and preserving rights. The Ministry, he added, operates within a strategic framework aimed at shaping a labour market that empowers national talents and attracts global expertise, in line with the wise leadership’s vision.

During the panel discussion, Minister Al Awar explained that MoHRE views the labour market as an interconnected ecosystem combining education, skills development, employment, and long-term participation in the workforce, which allows talent to be aligned with the needs of future sectors, not just current vacancies.

Simplification and integration are fundamental elements in this transformation, His Excellency said, noting that these are achieved through the Zero Government Bureaucracy programme, use of artificial intelligence (AI), and enhancement of system integration. The Work Bundle initiative, he remarked, redesigned the employment and residency journey via a unified platform that reduces procedures and processing time, facilitating compliance and mobility.

Al Awar affirmed that UAE labour market governance has expanded to include digital platforms and labour market data, enabling a shift from reactive governance to proactive risk-based governance, with over 11 million transactions processed automatically via AI-supported systems. He cited the Ministry’s deployment of AI across various labour market domains as an example, which contributed to a reduction in violating companies by approximately 34%, saving over 1,000 work hours in MoHRE’s call centre, and improving inspection efficiency and compliance with occupational health and safety standards.

His Excellency added that the legislative framework for the labour market has been updated to keep pace with new employment patterns by introducing flexible work models, regulating remote work, and modernising work permits, in addition to working on developing policies to regulate freelance jobs and work via digital platforms. The UAE’s social protection system enabled 99% of workers to be covered by the Wage Protection System and Workers Protection Programme, while over 90% of private-sector workers enjoy coverage under the Unemployment Insurance Scheme.

In conclusion, H.E. Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar affirmed that the UAE’s experience offers important lessons for fast-growing nations, most notably regarding clarity of vision, legislative flexibility, and investment in human capital. He stressed that the priority in the coming years must be to build resilient and forward-looking labour markets that balance competitiveness and fairness, placing people at the heart of economic transformation.

Other panellists in the session included His Excellency Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), who addressed the rapid changes transforming the global labour market, driven by advancements in modern technologies – primarily AI – which requires governments to develop more flexible and proactive policies to train and support workers, and restructure skills and career paths to account for requirements of the digital economy and raise competitiveness.

He asserted that international organisations are partners in supporting governments and establishing governance frameworks that keep pace with labour market transformations, enhance trust, and sustain change in work environments.

Meanwhile, Her Excellency Shayma Alawadhi, MoHRE’s Acting Undersecretary for Labour Market Development and Regulation, and Assistant Undersecretary for Communications and International Relations, gave a presentation during the forum addressing transformations in jobs around the world, driven by AI and digitisation, and highlighting recent statistics and forecasts for future skills and jobs.

The Future of Jobs Forum also hosted a panel discussion with local and international officials and experts, addressing the expansion of the remote work phenomenon and the emergence of a category of employees working from outside their home countries, which raises fundamental questions about the future of this work model that has provided unprecedented flexibility for digital talents, while new challenges emerged related to cross-border employment, protection, and more.

Another panel discussion explored the concept of “borderless jobs”, where leading academics and experts discussed how governments and legislation deal with emerging jobs that were previously unknown, such as AI model trainers and ethical data analysts, underlining the need to officially recognise and integrate them within the economic ecosystem.