UAE hospitality jobs: Hotels are hiring, but the talent race is changing, experts say as ATM 2026 opens

Dubai: UAE hospitality hiring remains active despite a changing travel market, with hotels and resorts continuing to recruit across frontline operations, specialist functions and increasingly technology-enabled roles.

Hospitality executives and recruitment specialists Gulf News spoke with have said the challenge is no longer simply finding people to fill vacancies.

As the UAE and wider Gulf move into another phase of hotel, tourism and mega-project development, employers are competing for experienced professionals while looking for people who can combine hospitality skills, adaptability and digital confidence.

The 33rd edition of ATM, running from September 14 to 17, is bringing airlines, hotels, tourism authorities, destinations, technology companies and travel buyers together under the theme ‘Travel 2040: Driving New Frontiers Through Innovation and Technology’.

And while AI and technology are expected to dominate some of the discussions, hospitality executives say the human side of the industry is becoming no less important.

Hiring stays active

Pedro Lacerda, senior vice-president at TASC Outsourcing, said employers across the UAE and wider Gulf were seeing sustained demand for talent across hospitality, tourism, real estate, infrastructure and other growth sectors.

“The market is moving at a pace that requires employers to be deliberate about workforce planning,” Lacerda said.

The issue, he added, is increasingly one of execution.

“Businesses may know the number of people they need, but sourcing, screening, onboarding and deploying that workforce within the required timeframe can determine how effectively they respond to business demand.”

That becomes particularly important when hotels and resorts need to recruit large numbers of employees within a short period.