UAE hotels hit by talent crunch as growth outpaces staffing

• Tourism accounts for 12% of workforce
• Limited investment in staff training
• Dubai to add 20,000 more rooms

UAE hoteliers are warning of an intensifying shortage of qualified staff as the country’s tourism sector expands.

About 809,000 people were employed in hospitality and tourism in the Emirates in 2023 – more than 12 percent of the workforce, according to the latest government data. 

But relatively high staff turnover and limited investment in training are exposing cracks in the UAE hotel industry’s talent pipeline.

“Annual turnover is approaching nearly one-third,” says Iain Buscombe, director at Gateway, a hospitality recruitment and training platform. 

“Candidates move frequently and, in response, employers hesitate to invest in onboarding or career planning,” he says. “It’s a vicious cycle that erodes trust and makes long-term team development difficult.”

The labour challenge is only set to deepen. 

Dubai alone is projected to add 20,000 hotel rooms by 2030, part of efforts to attract 40 million hotel guests a year to the UAE by 2031 and raise the tourism sector’s contribution to GDP to AED450 billion ($123 billion).

This expansion will almost certainly require a recruitment push. 

According to Dubai-based economic consultant Mansoor Ahmed, luxury hotels typically operate with an average of two staff members per room, while economy-class properties run a leaner average ratio of 0.4. 

Most of Dubai’s upcoming developments are skewed towards mid and upscale, so Ahmed estimates the emirate will need an additional 30,000 to 40,000 hospitality staff over the next five years.

Despite relatively high application volumes, finding the right talent is difficult.

“We can easily receive 1,500 applications within a 24-hour period and, while they’re not always a perfect match, it takes significant manpower to sift through them,” says Mary Croydon, managing director at executive search firm Richmond Capital.

Elsa Lahoude, general manager of the ME by Meliá hotel in Dubai, says she has added 13 roles since the start of the year – and received more than 350 applications for each.

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The UAE has traditionally relied on recruitment from countries such as the Philippines, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Nepal, with Sri Lanka and parts of Africa also playing a role in the supply chain. 

The fight for top-tier talent is intensifying, at home and abroad.

To fill the gap, more companies are turning to internal promotions and upskilling existing employees – a strategy that may become essential as competition for hospitality talent accelerates.

“It’s getting worse and worse globally when it comes to finding great leaders,” says Philip Barnes, CEO of Rotana Hotels & Resorts.

“There’s no point going fishing in a pond with no fish. You must look at what you’ve got and invest in them.”