Surge in demand for Arabic speakers as UAE companies expand into neighbouring countries

Emiratisation drive, Fifa World Cup in Qatar and Saudi Vision 2030 behind increased calls for those fluent in the language

Increased levels of business across the GCC have led to UAE firms instructing recruiters to find them Arabic speakers. Photo: Nama

There is a big increase in demand for Arabic speakers from companies in the UAE, recruitment experts have said.

Recruiters told The National of a surge in requests from businesses to “find us an Arabic speaker”.

The demand is said to be driven by the rise of local economies across the GCC region, with companies based in the Emirates expanding into neighbouring countries.

The success of last year’s football Fifa World Cup in Qatar has been cited as a prime example of why business is booming across the region.

“The increased demand for Arabic speakers is mainly due to increased business activity in Arabic-speaking countries with the likes of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar,” said Aisha Amarsi, senior manager at Hays recruitment agency.

“More companies are also expanding into Saudi Arabia and with local operations, companies need to represent the workforce and business transactions there.

“It’s a knock-on effect as some companies who are headquartered in the UAE have seen growth or expanded in those regions.”

There has been a particular increase in demand for Arabic speakers working in human resources, added Ms Amarsi.

However, she said the demand is more likely to come from regional companies rather than multinationals.

“Given that we operate in an Arabic-speaking region, fluency in the language has always been an advantage and will continue to be,” she said.

“Regional companies may favour Arabic speakers. However, multinational companies can perhaps be more flexible in this regard.”

Only 21 per cent of employers based in the region recruit from around the world, according to the most recent Hays GCC salary guide.

“While this is mainly due to the fact there’s a consistent and reliable talent pool in most sectors, certainly in the UAE, at least, a preference for Arabic speakers could be a contributing factor,” said Ms Amarsi.

An example of how GCC countries other than the UAE are expanding their economies is offered by the Saudi Vision 2030.

The project aims to reduce the kingdom's unemployment rate to 7 per cent and boost the number of women in the workplace.

The country’s gross domestic product was more than $1 trillion for the first time in 2022, reaching 4.2 trillion Saudi riyals ($1.12 million), with the economy growing by about 9 per cent, according to Gastat, the Saudi statistics database.

Qatar has also enjoyed a huge boost to its economy – not least because of its successful hosting of the Fifa World Cup last year.

Staging the event was estimated to have helped the Qatari economy grow by 8 per cent in the last quarter of last year, S&P Global Market Intelligence said.

David Mackenzie, group managing director of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones, said there was currently “a push for Arabisation in HR among companies here in the region”.

“We are often getting the brief now from clients that ‘we would love to hire an Arab speaker’ for the role,” he said.

There are myriad reasons for this, according to Mr Mackenzie.

“After Covid-19, a lot of people went home, which created a vacuum,” he said.

“A lot of companies are also using this time to replace expensive expats with local talent.”

The advantages of hiring Arabic speakers in the region are clear, especially in the HR sector, he said.

“There has been a big shift in recent years for people who can speak Arabic and it makes sense, especially if you are HR director as you will need to be able to communicate internally,” he said.

“If your stakeholders are nationals from countries like Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, there is every chance they will be more comfortable speaking in Arabic.”

Another contributing factor is the Emiratisation drive, which requires companies to ensure a quota of positions are filled by Emiratis.

Businesses with at least 50 employees must ensure they meet a 4 per cent target by the end of 2023, rising to 6 per cent next year, 8 per cent in 2025 and 10 per cent by the end of 2026.

“The new quotas put in place by the government have also played a part,” said Mr Mackenzie.

“It’s helped to create a shift in demand towards nationals.”

Another recruiter said the need for Arabic speakers could vary, depending on which market you operating in.

“It really depends who your clients are and what market you are aiming for,” said Claire Donnelly, senior consultant at Mike Hoff Consulting.

“English is still the predominant language used for business in Qatar and Bahrain, while in Saudi Arabia it can be slightly different.

“If it’s a big corporation, chances are they going to be communicating in English. It really comes to down to the individual companies themselves.”