How AI is changing the employment market in the Middle East, from ChatGPT to career matching

The global adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of recruitment has experienced an exponential surge, as revealed by a recent report from LinkedIn. This report highlights the remarkable growth in job postings referencing AI skills in recent months. The Future of Work report, which offers insights into the evolving job landscape, showcases a staggering 21-fold increase in English-language job postings mentioning GPT or ChatGPT on the LinkedIn platform since November 2022. This data underscores the transformative impact of AI, indicating that the skills required for a wide array of professions across various industries have evolved by 25% since 2015. Moreover, experts anticipate this number to reach a substantial 65% by 2030, primarily due to the rapid advancements in AI and related technologies.

The Middle East's job market has not remained untouched by this global trend. Experts in the region have noted a notable surge in demand for AI and data analysis skills among recruiters.

A research paper by Bain & Company, a leading global management consulting firm, underscores this shift in demand for top-notch tech talent. It reveals that between 2015 and 2019, the demand for such talent more than doubled. Interestingly, the nature of these tech jobs has also evolved significantly, with 40% of the most sought-after positions today not even existing in 2015. The PwC Middle East Workforce Hopes and Fears survey for 2023, released in June, unveiled that 52% of respondents in the region anticipate significant changes in their jobs over the next five years. This change is expected to necessitate the acquisition of new skills and competencies, particularly in AI literacy.

“The rise of AI has brought about significant changes in the job market, particularly for employees. Technology is automating routine and repetitive tasks across many industries, potentially leading to the displacement of jobs,” said Kamal Raggad, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of RemotePass, a global onboarding and payroll platform for remote teams. Raggad said, “Simultaneously, there’s a surge in demand for skills related to AI and data analysis. Individuals with expertise in machine learning, data science, and AI have become highly sought after. Moreover, many businesses are deploying AI tools to bolster productivity and decision-making, which augments the capabilities of employees in their daily tasks.”

According to industry experts like Raggad, the landscape for hiring managers is evolving rapidly, driven by the emergence of AI. This transformation is leading to the creation of novel job roles tailored to harness the capabilities of AI. “In the realm of recruitment, AI tools are revolutionising processes by automating tasks like candidate screening, skills assessment, and matching the right candidates to the appropriate roles. Furthermore, to bridge the emerging skill gaps, there’s an increasing emphasis on investment in AI-focused training and upskilling programmes,” he added.

McKinsey's recent study predicts a substantial workforce expansion of 127 million in the MENA region over the next decade, primarily fueled by a burgeoning youth population. With the entry of Generation Z into the workforce, there has been an upswing in AI-driven resume-building and job search platforms. Companies such as Bayt and GulfTalent are utilizing smart features to revolutionize how candidates and recruiters discover, screen, and shortlist opportunities.

Notably, Qureos, a UAE-based startup specializing in personalized career matching across the MENA region, recently launched Iris, a cutting-edge recruitment platform. Iris leverages advanced AI and machine learning algorithms to assist hiring managers in candidate sourcing and evaluation. According to the company, Iris can present an average of 47 relevant candidates per search in just 26 seconds, ultimately reducing time-to-hire and slashing recruitment costs by up to 43%.

Industries witnessing a significant shift towards AI-skilled professionals encompass Technology, Information, and Media, with notable movements also observed in Education (1.2%), Professional Services (0.9%), Financial Services (0.9%), and Manufacturing (0.8%) in the United States. When assessing the pace at which professionals are adding AI skills to their profiles, the report highlights that those in Financial Services (30x), Retail (29x), and Wholesale (24x) are adapting to AI more rapidly than their counterparts in Technology, Information, and Media (11x).

“The adoption of AI promises to bring profound changes to the job market. Industries built on repetitive tasks, such as manufacturing, data entry, and customer service, are more susceptible to AI-driven displacement. By contrast, fields that lean heavily on human creativity and interpersonal skills, like healthcare and the arts, might instead see evolving roles,” said Raggad. He continued: “AI’s swift ascent in the technological world has dual implications. On one hand, there’s a palpable concern over job reductions, especially in sectors like retail and finance, where AI tools like chatbots and algorithmic trading are being swiftly adopted. On the flip side, sectors rooted in creativity, and complex problem-solving, and those reliant on a human touch are likely to be more resilient. Moreover, AI’s rise is birthing entirely new sectors in cybersecurity and AI research, signalling a promising horizon for novel avenues of employment.”