UAE – Mubasher: The number of total net new work permits issued in the UAE hiked to more than 157,000 in 2019, compared to over 1,500 in 2018, according to the 2019 annual report by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE).
Dubai, Northern Emirates, and Abu Dhabi contributed in the jump in the number of new work permits with 90,216, 40,039, and 27,509, respectively, the report remarked based on data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE).
In the private sector, employment increased by 2%, driven by positive macroeconomic developments during 2019.
A total of 5.095 million individuals were employed in the private sector last year, of which 27% are based in Abu Dhabi, 52% in Dubai, and 21% in the Northern Emirates.
The construction and real estate and business services sectors absorb around 45% of the labour force in the UAE, with a 6.3% increase in the real estate, two-fold growth compared to 2018.
However, employment growth in construction remained in negative territory in 2019.
At the aggregate level, employment in the UAE increased by 2% on an annual basis in 2019, versus a decrease of 0.9% in 2018.
In 2019, Abu Dhabi's employment rose by 1.1% year-on-year, recovering for the first time in three years.
