Dubai: Want to be working in the most in-demand roles in the UAE? There’s good news if you love working with programming softwares, data and technology.
The jobs in the UAE, in the next 10 years, will focus largely on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and automation, based on a list posted by Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) recently.
On January 6, the Ministry took to its social media channels to highlight the jobs that would be in demand in the UAE, with the post reading: “The UAE labour market is undergoing constant changes as a result of rapid technological developments and modern techniques. What will the UAE jobs be for the next 10 years?”
Gulf News spoke to recruitment specialists in the field of technology to understand what each role means and the skills you would need to succeed in such jobs.
As per Billy Bilton, Senior Recruitment Consultant at HAYS Technology, with most of the job roles focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data science and analysis, the most popular fields are that of mathematics, physics, computer science and statistics.
“A lot of companies are becoming more digitally focused and more brick-and-mortar companies are becoming accessible online. More companies have access to different data tools and artificial intelligence and are developing products and platforms, which use algorithms that are based on metadata analytics and machine learning. For most of these jobs, you would need some kind of a quantitative and analytical background, where you have the skills needed to analyse and gather structured and non-structured data. The ideal candidate who would have a good understanding of different data modules and techniques like deep learning, reinforcement learning and machine learning,” Bilton said.
For most of these jobs, you would need some kind of a quantitative and analytical background, where you have the skills needed to analyse and gather structured and non-structured data.
He added that qualifications for such jobs could include a PhD in computer science, physics, cybernetics, chemistry or robotics.
“It is a range … most clients would expect a degree in one of these and then prefer a masters or PhD in further learning,” he added.
1. Scientists
In the list of occupations, the first role highlighted by MOHRE was that of scientists.
2. Data analysts
The second occupation on the list posted by MOHRE was that of a data analyst. As per Bilton, this role would require an applicant to have in-depth knowledge of Software programming, programming in languages such as SQL (Structured Query Language), XML (Extensible Markup Language) and JavaScript (another programming language).
3. Machine learning specialists
Speaking about the role of a Machine Learning specialist, Bilton said applicants for such job roles would need knowledge of Artificial Intelligence frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch, in order to develop algorithms and for software programming.
“An understanding of the cloud computing world is also preferred,” he added.
4. Artificial intelligence specialists
“This would refer to someone who can build AI functionally into software applications – someone who can integrate and implement AI algorithms and have knowledge of different technologies and strategies and a good knowledge of data science,” Bilton said.
5. Ecommerce and strategies specialists
While this role would require someone to have an understanding of online sales strategies, it would also overlap with a background in computer science.
“This will be someone who is going to be an expert in online sales strategies and knows how to work on various platforms involved in digital transformations as well. So, a degree in online sales and marketing would be ideal, but also a background in computer science, as they need to work with technical development, branding and design teams,” Bilton said.
6. Big data specialists
This role would also require data gathering, sorting and analysis, but at much larger scales – whether it is the customer base of a multinational brand or a country’s demographic.
“This candidate would need to analyse big chunks of data, so a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information management would be required, and may require the candidate to have experience in a data centric or analytical industry,” Bilton said.
While you would need to deal with data models and database design, an important skill that you would need, according to Bilton, is data mining and segmentation techniques.
“Then, you would need to have an understanding of the programming side of things, which would be SQL, XML and Javascript. This person would ideally be coming from a statistics or an analytical background,” he said.
High demand
With most companies headed in the direction of automation and technology, these are the industries where the money is being invested, said Jeron Van Den Elshout, the Assistant Vice President of AIQU, a specialised tech recruitment agency.
“Many companies are investing heavily in machine learning and data analytics and this trend is only expected to grow in the coming years. Equipping machines with the ability to learn from data not only enables them to automate tasks and improve productivity but it also helps optimise data insights. And as we know, data drives business decision-making today,” he told Gulf News.
Many companies are investing heavily in machine learning and data analytics and this trend is only expected to grow in the coming years.
“There is a growing need for data scientists and analysts to help navigate a disruptive marketplace, governed by big data. This is why demand for roles like Data Analysts, Data Engineers and Machine Learning Specialists are skyrocketing, ranking highly amongst the most in-demand jobs in today’s workforce,” he said.
Building a skill set for future jobs
Elshout added that, in general, data scientists and engineers would have related degrees with a software development component in either statistics, mathematics, engineering as a base or a course in programming languages like SQL, or data visualisation softwares like Tableau, power BI or the MS stack set of application tools.
“Careers in data science offer a wide variety of job roles and titles from Data Architect, Data Engineers, Data Analysts and Data Scientists. They are required to continuously upskill their technical skills to stay up to date and with relevant expertise in programming languages they tend to get recruited in high paying roles. Machine Learning, on the other hand, falls under Artificial Intelligence as a subset and the degrees between the two are often interchangeable. These would be people who have worked with analytics statistics, mathematics, engineering to formulate models that can be used to code language that the machine then uses to learn from big data,” he added.
