Emirati Women Expand Their Presence Across UAE Private Sector
More than 123,000 Emirati women are now working across the UAE private sector, with strong representation in skilled and leadership roles highlighting expanding career opportunities for national female talent.
| Written by Palak Kataria
What does greater opportunity for women look like when it translates into the workplace? In the UAE, new employment figures show Emirati women building a significant presence across private-sector careers, from skilled professions to leadership positions.
More than 123,000 Emirati women are now employed in private companies, according to figures released by the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) for Emirati Women’s Day. Women account for 71% of Emiratis working in the private sector, highlighting the scale of their participation in the country's evolving workforce.
The broader Emirati private-sector workforce has also expanded. Around 190,000 UAE nationals are employed across more than 32,000 private companies, representing growth of more than 128% compared with 2023.
Careers Are Expanding Beyond Participation
The story goes beyond how many women are entering private-sector employment. It is also about the types of careers they are building.
MoHRE says Emirati women are increasingly represented across skilled and specialised positions, senior professional levels and executive and leadership roles. Nearly 98% of Emirati women working in the private sector hold skilled positions, while women account for around 70% of Emiratis in senior professional roles and 55% in executive and leadership positions.
There is also a strong younger generation entering the workforce, with women representing around 70% of young Emiratis employed in the private sector. More than 26,000 private-sector establishments now employ Emirati women.
For employees and employers alike, these figures point towards a workplace in which career development is increasingly extending beyond access to employment and into opportunities for progression, specialisation and leadership.
Equal Opportunity Supports Career Growth
MoHRE links this progress to a wider framework of empowerment and equal opportunity across the UAE labour market.
The country's employment framework has increasingly emphasised gender equality alongside flexible working models and workplace policies intended to help employees balance professional and family responsibilities.
Government programmes such as Nafis have also supported Emiratis entering and developing careers within private companies, creating additional pathways connecting national talent with private-sector opportunities.
The result is a workforce story that increasingly centres on what women are able to contribute once those opportunities become available.
Building the Next Generation of Leaders
For employers, the growing participation of Emirati women also expands the national talent pool available for specialist and leadership positions.
As more women build experience across private companies, organisations have an opportunity to strengthen that progress through professional development, mentoring, skills programmes and clear pathways into decision-making roles.
For employees, meanwhile, the figures demonstrate how private-sector careers are becoming an increasingly established part of the professional journey for Emirati women.
The significance is therefore not simply that more women are working. It is that more Emirati women are building skilled careers, progressing professionally and taking their place in leadership.
As the UAE continues investing in national talent, that combination of opportunity, capability and career progression is helping create a private-sector workforce in which Emirati women have an increasingly influential role.
Sources: UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE); Khaleej Times; Emirates News Agency (WAM).
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