The National this month published a detailed report on UAE salary trends for 2026, which also highlights skills required by job seekers to succeed this year. This led to more questions from audiences.
So we decided to take the conversation a step further and connect job seekers with recruiters to explore what hiring managers are looking for.
In a live Q&A hosted by The National, Vlacheslav Shakhov, managing director at Cooper Fitch, answered questions ranging from salary expectations and in-demand sectors to CV filtering, Gen Z workplace expectations and how to show genuine AI capability without overselling it.
Is the UAE job market slowing down in 2026?
Mr Shakhov says hiring is continuing, but decision-making is slower as employers weigh global uncertainty against regional growth.
“I think we are in a very interesting time where we have a lot of headwinds, particularly from global economic factors, and then we have a region that's flourishing and growing,” he said.
He added that the mood is one of cautious optimism and that companies are taking longer because they want to be more deliberate. “The companies don't mind spending, but they would like to spend wisely.”
Are salaries rising, and how much can employees expect?
Mr Shakhov believes the broad trend is upwards but modest, and that averages hide big differences between roles. “Just under 2 per cent is our forecast,” he said.
However, he stressed that outcomes vary significantly by role. “Specialist roles or senior individual contributors actually received a healthy increase last year, between 5 to 9 per cent.”
Which sectors are hiring most in 2026?
Financial services and industry are among the strongest performers. “I would be very optimistic about financial services for this year,” Mr Shakhov said, pointing to banking, non-banking financial institutions, fintech and crypto.
“I would be very optimistic for the industrial sector, and that would be anything around manufacturing, energy utilities.”
Is it vital to customise CVs to applicant tracking systems?
Mr Shakhov believes it is subjective. “So it really depends on the company,” he said, citing examples where recruitment is almost fully automated until the final interview stage. “So you only get a human interaction at final interview stage.”
He explained that for entry-level, administrative and high-volume roles, automated systems increasingly act as the first gatekeeper, making structure, clarity and relevance essential. In those cases, CVs that are poorly formatted, overly generic or missing key terms may never reach a human reviewer.
For senior, specialist or niche roles, CVs remain critical and are often assessed manually, either by internal teams or recruiters, he said. In those cases, storytelling, clarity of impact and relevance to the role matter more than keyword optimisation alone.
Mr Shakhov advised candidates to treat application tracking systems as an initial hurdle, tailoring CVs to the job description while ensuring they can stand up to scrutiny in later interview stages. He added that candidates who balance technical optimisation with clear, human-readable content are more likely to succeed in the UAE hiring market.
Is AI replacing jobs in the UAE?
Mr Shakhov said AI is changing how work is done rather than eliminating roles outright. “What we're seeing is a merger of roles, and not a loss of roles or merger of skills,” he said. While most companies are adopting AI tools, he noted that job losses remain limited. “Companies are adopting AI, but only about seven per cent reported some kind of job loss.”
How do you show you understand AI without pretending to be an expert?
Mr Shakhov said employers are not just looking for AI specialists. Instead, foundational skills matter most. “One key skill set is the data analysis,” he said. He added that candidates need to demonstrate judgment and critical thinking rather than claiming to be a certified expert.
“Working with that data and being able to process what's actually critical and what's true is very important.” He also warned that results depend on how AI is used. “The quality of data input equals to quality output.” Candidates who exaggerate their expertise, he said, are often exposed quickly.
Should job seekers put AI on their CV even if their sector hasn't adopted it yet?
Yes, but only if it is genuine. “Be authentic, so don't overdress it,” Mr Shakhov said. “But if you did do a certain course, or you worked on a pilot project, or any sort of involvement, I think it's important you add it to your CV.”
He added that relevance matters, particularly during early screening. “It is, sometimes unfortunately and sometimes fortunately, about keywords, so it is about actually understanding what the role is and making it tailored and more relevant.”
What should applicants applying to the UAE from outside the region be wary of?
Mr Shakhov said overseas candidates need to understand how the local market works before applying. He advised jobseekers to speak to people already in the region, build networks and learn about sector-specific dynamics rather than applying blindly.
He added that candidates who understand local expectations, regulations and hiring timelines tend to stand out more than those who rely solely on online applications.
Is Gen Z's approach of asking for what they want working?
Younger workers are reshaping expectations around pay, flexibility and career progression. “I think the Gen Z is a dilemma that everyone needs to reconcile with,” Mr Shakhov said, adding that this shift is not necessarily negative.
Gen Z employees tend to be more direct about what they want from work, including flexibility, transparency and faster progression, and this has forced companies to rethink traditional hierarchies and reward structures.
“I think there's a lot to learn,” Mr Shakhov said, adding that organisations are gradually adapting as different generations meet “in the middle”.
Does asking for work from home hurt your chances of getting a job?
Visibility still matters, Mr Shakhov said, but physical presence is no longer the only measure of contribution.
At the same time, he stressed that performance can be demonstrated remotely.
“You don't need to be in the office five days a week to be effective with your impact and what you're doing at work, and the value you provide needs to be visible and needs to be heard.” Ultimately, he said, “it is about results, but it is about generating that value”.
