The agency is shifting from vendor-managed project delivery to continuous product ownership. The restructuring affects 93 roles in the first phase, but GovTech says it expects to employ more people when the transition is complete. | Written by Tripti Mehta Singapore's Government Technology Agency (GovTech) has announced that it is evolving its operating model, moving from a one-off project-delivery approach managed through vendors to a continuous product-ownership model where

The inaugural Naukrigulf Hiring Index shows AI, machine learning, and cybersecurity roles grew 20% year-on-year, even as the broader market adjusted during April-May 2026. | Written by Tripti Mehta The UAE job market showed clear signs of resilience in high-skill and technology roles during April and May 2026, according to the inaugural Naukrigulf Hiring Index released on Monday. While overall hiring activity moderated against a strong prior year, demand for specialised talen

Marsh's People Risk 2026 report surveyed 103 HR and risk professionals in the UAE as part of a global study of 4,517 respondents. The finding that should concern every people leader: mindset, not malware, is now the bigger threat. | Written by Tripti Mehta For the first time, employee resistance to AI has overtaken cybersecurity threats as the most pressing workforce risk facing UAE organisations, according to Marsh's 2026 People Risks Report. The shift marks a significant de

The 'Our Flexible Summer' initiative returns for a third consecutive year, now extended across all Dubai government entities, with Fridays off for those who choose it. | Written by Tripti Mehta Dubai has made its position clear: employee wellbeing and institutional performance are not a trade-off. They are the same investment. For the third consecutive summer, the Dubai Government Human Resources Department has activated 'Our Flexible Summer', a structured flexible working pr

With a career spanning multiple countries and two decades of HR transformation, Salter joins Dubai Holding's Land Estates business to build the people infrastructure behind one of Dubai's most significant real estate portfolios. | Written by Tripti Mehta Dubai Holding has appointed Alex Salter as Vice President of Human Resources for its Land Estates business, a hire that signals the organisation's intent to build structured people infrastructure alongside its real estate amb

With two profession-specific deadlines landing within days of each other, HR leaders in Saudi Arabia's tourism and engineering sectors are running out of runway. | Written by Tripti Mehta Saudization 2026 is not a single event. It is a rolling programme of sector-by-sector enforcement dates, and two of the most consequential arrive this month. On June 22, a 40% Saudization quota takes effect across tourism roles. On June 30, engineering firms with five or more engineers must

Global commodities group Trafigura has named Sarah Wohnlich Kane as its new Chief Human Resources Officer, bringing more than 25 years of international HR and talent leadership experience to the role. | Written by Tripti Mehta Trafigura has appointed Sarah Wohnlich Kane as its new Chief Human Resources Officer, effective immediately. The appointment strengthens the commodities group's leadership team at a time when the company is placing renewed focus on talent strategy, orga

Microsoft’s top boss says AI agents need identities, sandboxes and governance policies, and that means HR and people leaders have a new brief. | Written by Tripti Mehta Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, has issued a challenge to organisations that goes well beyond the IT department, arguing that AI agents operating inside businesses must be governed with the same seriousness applied to human employees. Speaking on an episode of Reid Hoffman's P

The MoU goes beyond a signing ceremony; it is a structured commitment to closing the gap between what students learn and what employers actually need. | Written by Tripti Mehta Sharjah Islamic Bank and the University of Sharjah have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a formal framework for cooperation across financial literacy, professional development, practical training, and talent acquisition. For HR and people leaders, the detail that matters is not the par

The law is not in force yet, but the preparation window is now. Employers who wait until 2027 will be building under pressure. | Written by Tripti Mehta Singapore has passed its first legally binding law against workplace discrimination. The Workplace Fairness Act (WFA), enacted in two parts across 2025, converts what were previously voluntary employment guidelines into enforceable legal obligations with a grievance process, a dispute resolution pathway, and real financial pe

The grace period ends June 30. Employers who have not yet adjusted Emirati salaries face permit suspensions and loss of Emiratisation credit from July 1. | Written by Tripti Mehta The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced an increase in the minimum wage for Emiratis employed in the private sector to AED 6,000 per month, effective January 1, 2026, with establishments that employed Emiratis before that date given until June 30, 2026 to adjust salaries

With Phase 3 of the Kingdom's landmark labour reform weeks away, employers with indefinite-term workers must act now or risk legal exposure. | Written by Tripti Mehta Saudi Arabia's Unified Employment Contract Initiative enters its third and final phase on August 6, 2026, the date by which all indefinite or open-ended employment contracts must be migrated to the official template and documented on the Qiwa platform. The initiative, led jointly by the Ministry of Human Resourc

A new nursery mandate, expanded parental leave, and some of the Gulf's most optimistic workers signal that Saudi Arabia is serious about employee experience as a competitive priority. | Written by Tripti Mehta Saudi Arabia's Cabinet has directed both public and private sector employers to establish workplace nurseries, in a move designed to support working mothers and advance early childhood development goals under Vision 2030. Authorities have also been tasked with addressin

LinkedIn and Walmart both made cuts in May 2026 despite strong business performance, exposing a corporate workforce pattern that HR leaders can no longer treat as isolated news. | Written by Tripti Mehta The platform built for professional networking is now asking its own people to network their way to new jobs. LinkedIn, a subsidiary of Microsoft, announced on May 13, 2026 that it is cutting approximately 5% of its global workforce, around 900 positions, as part of an organi