Private-sector hiring in the UAE shrank in the second quarter — the first fall in more than four years, according to recruitment consultancy Cooper Fitch. The decline comes after months of reported layoffs and economic uncertainty stemming from the Iran war. New hiring fell 4% in the UAE, faster than the Gulf average. Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar also saw activity dip, with only Saudi Arabia and Oman adding jobs.
When the conflict started in late February, companies in the region tried to retain staff by trimming pay and hours and handing out unpaid leave in the hope the disruption would soon pass. That patience has thinned as the fighting has ebbed and flowed, and a quarter of companies now plan cuts, a survey by staffing firm ManpowerGroup found.