Employment in United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates: Employment was 9,246 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
9,246
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
50th
of 174 countries
All-time high
9,246
in 2024
All-time low
1,312
in 1995
Years of data
13
1995–2024

Employment in United Arab Emirates, 1995–2024

2.0k4.0k6.0k8.0k10.0k1995200920241995: 1.3k2000: 1.8k2005: 2.5k2008: 1.8k2016: 7.4k2017: 7.2k2018: 7.2k2019: 7.4k2020: 6.9k2021: 7.2k2022: 7.3k2023: 8.6k2024: 9.2k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2024, employment in United Arab Emirates stood at 9,246. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.

That represents a change of up 8.0% on the previous year and up 24.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment in United Arab Emirates peaked at 9,246 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,312, in 1995.

United Arab Emirates ranks 50th of 174 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.

Employment in United Arab Emirates, year by year

Annual values for Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13) in United Arab Emirates, 1995 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1995 1,312 —
2000 1,779 +35.6%
2005 2,480 +39.4%
2008 1,846 -25.6%
2016 7,450 +303.5%
2017 7,241 -2.8%
2018 7,225 -0.2%
2019 7,388 +2.3%
2020 6,886 -6.8%
2021 7,165 +4.0%
2022 7,303 +1.9%
2023 8,560 +17.2%
2024 9,246 +8.0%

United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries

  • United Arab Emirates's 9,246 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2,235, 4.1× the median. (72 countries reporting)
  • United Arab Emirates's 9,246 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4,279, 2.2× the median. (18 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Employment in United Arab Emirates changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2016 +303.5% 1,846 7,450

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1,312 1,312 1,312 1
2000s 2,035 1,779 2,480 3
2010s 7,326 7,225 7,450 4
2020s 7,832 6,886 9,246 5

Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates

  1. 47 Chile 9,415 compare
  2. 48 Niger 9,303 compare
  3. 49 Cameroon 9,287 compare
  4. 51 Kazakhstan 8,972 compare
  5. 52 Ecuador 8,330 compare
  6. 53 Sri Lanka 7,950 compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More work & labour data for United Arab Emirates

All data for United Arab Emirates →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment in United Arab Emirates?
Employment in United Arab Emirates was 9,246 in 2024, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest employment recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The highest recorded value was 9,246 in 2024.
What is the lowest employment recorded in United Arab Emirates?
The lowest recorded value was 1,312 in 1995.
How does United Arab Emirates rank for employment?
United Arab Emirates ranks 50th out of 174 countries with data for 2024.
Is employment rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
Over the last ten years it is up 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment in United Arab Emirates. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 04 October 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employment-previous-ilo-definition-icls13/united-arab-emirates/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment (previous ILO definition - ICLS13)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
261 places, 6,860 data points, 1947–2026
Last refreshed