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Razan Badri, Founder & CEO, RAZAN BADRI CONSULTING RBC FZ LLC, advocates cultivating Inner Excellence, that is helping individuals reconnect with their strengths, purpose, and potential to drive employee happiness, engagement, and leadership growth. | Written by Razan Badri We often talk about employee happiness in terms of workplace culture, leadership, flexibility, compensation, and benefits. While all of these are important, I believe there is one crucial ingredient that is often overlooked: Inner Excellence. Employee happiness is not only created by external circumstances. It also comes from within. When individuals reconnect with their unique strengths, rediscover their purpose, and believe in their own capabilities, something remarkable happens. Their confidence grows, their motivation returns, and their engagement naturally follows. The concept of Inner Excellence came to me while coaching professionals at a multinational luxury retail company in Dubai. Over time, I noticed a striking pattern. Regardless of department, nationality, or years of experience, many of the mid- to senior-level professionals I coached were expressing remarkably similar concerns. They spoke about feeling stuck. They questioned their motivation. They felt disconnected from the passion that had once driven them. Some had achieved impressive career milestones but no longer found fulfillment in their work. Others had become so consumed by deadlines, expectations, and constant change that they had lost sight of what made them exceptional in the first place. As I listened to their stories, I realized they hadn't lost their talent, they had simply forgotten it. They had forgotten their unique strengths, their natural abilities, and the qualities that once made them confident and energized. I began referring to these forgotten strengths as their Inner Excellence, the collection of gifts, talents, values, and capabilities that make every individual uniquely valuable. That realization transformed not only my coaching conversations but also my own professional journey. It inspired me to become an Inner Excellence Coach and to develop my own coaching framework, BLOSSOM, designed to help individuals reconnect with their authentic strengths and unlock their full potential. Over the past 14 years, I have had the privilege of coaching more than 1,000 professionals from diverse industries and backgrounds. One lesson has remained consistently true: when people rediscover their Inner Excellence, everything else begins to change. Their confidence increases because they stop focusing on what they lack and start recognizing what they already possess. Their sense of purpose resurfaces because they reconnect with the impact they are capable of creating. Their motivation becomes intrinsic rather than dependent on external rewards or recognition. As a result, they perform better, engage more deeply with their teams, communicate with greater authenticity, and consistently achieve stronger outcomes. This transformation is not magic, it is awareness. Too often, employees spend years listening to an inner critic that tells them they are not experienced enough, smart enough, capable enough, or ready enough. That inner voice slowly chips away at confidence until people begin to question their own value. The truth is that our inner voice can either become our greatest ally or our greatest obstacle. When it constantly highlights our weaknesses, we become hesitant, disengaged, and disconnected from our potential. When it reminds us of our strengths, resilience, and achievements, we become courageous enough to take on new challenges and contribute at our highest level. Sometimes, however, it becomes difficult to hear that positive voice on our own. That is where coaching can make a profound difference. A coach does not create greatness within someone, they help uncover the greatness that already exists. Through thoughtful questions, reflection, and accountability, coaching allows individuals to see themselves more clearly, challenge limiting beliefs, and rediscover the strengths they may have forgotten along the way. This is why organizations that genuinely care about employee happiness should look beyond engagement surveys and workplace initiatives alone. While these remain valuable, investing in the personal growth and self-awareness of employees creates a deeper and more sustainable impact. When employees know who they are, understand what they do best, and feel connected to a meaningful purpose, they don't simply become happier, they become more resilient, innovative, collaborative, and committed. Employee happiness is not just about creating better workplaces. It is about helping people become the best version of themselves. Every one of us has been gifted with unique talents and strengths. Our responsibility is to discover those gifts, nurture them, and continuously develop them. When individuals reconnect with their Inner Excellence, they don't just transform their careers, they transform the way they lead, the way they serve others, and the way they experience life. Perhaps that is the missing link we have been searching for all along. Because the happiest employees are not necessarily those with the easiest jobs or the highest salaries. They are the ones who remember who they are, recognize the value they bring, and have the confidence to let their Inner Excellence shine every single day.

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 agency builds, operates, and improves government digital services in-house. The restructuring is expected to affect 7-9% of roles across the agency's approximately 3,900-strong workforce over the next two years, across three phases. In the first phase, 93 roles have been made redundant. Of those, 36 officers are leaving immediately. Importantly, more than two-thirds of officers identified in the first phase have been retained in their current roles, and 110 are being retrained into new roles through apprenticeships. GovTech Chief Executive Goh Wei Boon was clear about the direction: "Citizens and agencies expect digital services that are more secure, reliable and responsive to their needs. This transformation will help GovTech deliver such services. We will support every officer who has contributed to Singapore's digital journey through this transition." What Is Driving The Change, And What It Is Not GovTech chair Chng Kai Fong was direct in his note to staff: "This is not an AI-driven downsizing exercise. This shift began years before the current AI wave." The restructuring reflects the growing scale and complexity of government digital services, which requires the agency to take greater end-to-end responsibility for the platforms it owns rather than managing external delivery. Under the new model, GovTech will be actively hiring software engineers, product managers, designers, data specialists, cybersecurity experts, and platform engineers. The agency expects to employ more people at the end of the transition than it does today. As Chng put it: "GovTech is changing shape, not shrinking." A Support Model Worth Noting What makes this restructuring notable from an HR and people management perspective is how it was handled. The Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees (AUSBE) was brought in early, before any announcement, and worked closely with GovTech to identify alternatives to retrenchment, including retraining, apprenticeships, and redeployment. For the 93 officers leaving, AUSBE negotiated a support package that goes beyond the collective agreement: a three-month ex gratia payment, a pro-rated performance bonus, and six months of paid union membership. The collective agreement itself provides one month's notice and one month's pay per year of service, capped at 25 years. Career transition support was also activated immediately. NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) deployed career coaches on-site for personalised coaching and job matching. Nearly 30 companies participated, offering more than 300 technology-related vacancies. Affected officers were also introduced to the e2i-IMDA Tech Elevation and Career Hub (TECH) Portal, and a curated tech career fair has been scheduled for August 4, 2026. NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Choo highlighted the value of early engagement: "Early engagement between GovTech and AUSBE allowed the union to strengthen support for affected officers. We encourage employers to engage our unions early, so that workers' anxieties can be allayed as they receive timely support, a smoother transition and better employment outcomes." The HR Takeaway GovTech's approach offers a practical model for organisations navigating workforce transformation: early union engagement, active redeployment and retraining before redundancies are confirmed, negotiated support packages beyond contractual minimums, and a live career transition infrastructure activated on announcement day. The agency's transparency about the direction of travel, including its commitment to hiring more people by the end of the process, also sets a tone that reduces uncertainty for remaining staff. Sources: Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech); NTUC; Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees (AUSBE); Human Resources Online; Mothership.sg

The HR leader brings more than 16 years of experience across healthcare, aviation and energy as Dallah Health continues to strengthen its talent strategy. | Written by Tripti Mehta Naif Aldosary has joined Dallah Health as Head of Talent Acquisition, bringing over 16 years of experience in recruitment, workforce planning and talent strategy across the healthcare, aviation and energy sectors. Prior to joining Dallah Health, Aldosary held senior talent acquisition and human resources leadership roles with organisations including Fakeeh Care Group, Riyadh Air, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH), Aramco, and Saudi Electricity Company. Throughout his career, he has led large-scale hiring initiatives, employer branding programmes and recruitment transformation projects aligned with organisational growth. In his new role, Aldosary will lead Dallah Health's talent acquisition function, supporting the healthcare provider's efforts to attract, develop and retain skilled professionals across its expanding network of hospitals and medical facilities. The appointment comes as Saudi Arabia's healthcare sector continues to experience sustained demand for specialised talent, driven by capacity expansion, digital transformation and the Kingdom's Vision 2030 healthcare objectives. As providers compete for clinical and non-clinical talent, organisations are placing greater emphasis on strategic workforce planning and employer branding to strengthen their recruitment capabilities. Leadership appointments in talent acquisition are increasingly becoming strategic business decisions rather than operational HR changes. As healthcare organisations scale, the ability to secure specialised talent, reduce hiring timelines and build sustainable workforce pipelines is emerging as a key competitive advantage. Source: HR Today Middle East; LinkedIn

Singapore will provide free access to selected premium AI tools through eligible training programmes, aiming to improve workforce AI literacy and workplace confidence. | Written by Riya Malhotra Singapore is taking another step toward building an AI-ready workforce, with the government set to provide free access to selected premium artificial intelligence tools for Singaporeans who participate in eligible training programmes. The initiative is aimed at raising AI literacy across the workforce and helping workers build greater confidence in using AI as the economy and jobs continue to transform. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, the subscriptions will allow participants to experiment with AI tools and explore how these can be integrated into their daily work and lives. The move reflects a growing shift in workforce development: AI training is no longer being treated only as a technical skill for specialised roles, but as a broader capability needed across industries and functions. For HR leaders, this signals the need to move beyond awareness sessions and begin designing practical, role-based AI learning journeys for employees. The government will evaluate the scheme through indicators linked to both usage and attitudes toward AI. These include subscription take-up, usage patterns, and sustained engagement during the six-month complimentary access period and beyond. Periodic surveys may also be conducted to assess users’ confidence and perceived ability to apply AI at work. The curated AI courses that participants complete before receiving access to the tools will also be covered under the Training Quality and Outcomes Measurement survey, which applies to SkillsFuture Singapore-funded courses. For employers, the development offers an important reminder: access to AI tools alone is not enough. To create meaningful impact, organisations will need to help employees understand where AI can support productivity, decision-making, creativity, and everyday problem-solving, while also building guardrails around responsible use. The initiative could also encourage HR and L&D teams to rethink how they measure AI readiness. Instead of focusing only on course completion, employers may need to track whether employees are actually applying AI tools in their work, how confident they feel using them, and whether the tools are improving workflows in measurable ways. As governments and businesses accelerate AI adoption, Singapore’s approach points to a practical direction for workforce transformation: give workers not just training, but hands-on access, experimentation time, and confidence to use AI meaningfully at work.

Developed in partnership with Dubai Police, Digital Dubai’s new “Worker’s Voice” feature empowers private sector employees to report grievances instantly via their smartphones. For HR leaders, this marks a critical shift toward greater transparency and rapid dispute resolution. | Written by Riya Malhotra The United Arab Emirates is rapidly digitizing every facet of public and professional life, and employee dispute resolution is the latest area to receive a major upgrade. Digital Dubai, working alongside Dubai Police, has officially introduced the "Worker’s Voice" service within the widely used DubaiNow application. Tailored specifically for the private sector, this new feature allows workers to submit workplace complaints directly from their mobile devices, bypassing the need for physical visits to government service centers. For organizations prioritizing employee well-being and operational compliance, this development is a powerful reminder of Dubai’s commitment to labor rights and digital accessibility. A Streamlined Channel for Workplace Grievances The DubaiNow app is already a digital staple for residents, offering centralized access to more than 250 services across dozens of government and private entities. By embedding the Worker’s Voice service within this familiar ecosystem, authorities have removed the traditional friction associated with reporting employer issues. The system is designed to handle a comprehensive range of workplace concerns. Employees can now easily file both individual and collective complaints regarding: Wage Disputes: Reporting delayed, unpaid, or underpaid salaries. Labor Conditions: Flagging general violations of employment contracts or unfair working environments. Health and Safety: Raising alerts about hazardous occupational conditions or a lack of proper safety protocols. Employee Accommodation: Documenting substandard or unsafe employer-provided housing. Integrating with Existing Frameworks While the federal Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) continues to manage the overarching legal framework for labor disputes across the UAE, the Worker’s Voice service acts as a highly accessible, police-backed entry point specific to Dubai. It serves as an immediate, documented channel for workers to flag issues quickly, often helping to resolve concerns before they escalate into protracted legal battles. The HR Imperative: Adapting to Radical Transparency A transparent reporting system is fundamentally tied to employee happiness. When workers know they have a secure, official channel to voice their concerns, it elevates their sense of security and trust in the regulatory environment. However, for HR departments and business leaders, this frictionless reporting mechanism means that internal compliance must be airtight. To stay ahead, HR teams should: Conduct Proactive Audits: Regularly inspect employee accommodations and review payroll processing schedules to ensure absolute alignment with UAE labor laws and the Wage Protection System. Revamp Internal Grievance Channels: The best way to manage external complaints is to resolve them internally first. Ensure your organization has a safe, retaliation-free internal system where employees feel genuinely heard. Train Line Managers: Educate supervisors and site managers about the new service, emphasizing the importance of occupational safety and respectful working conditions on the ground. Dubai’s launch of the Worker’s Voice service reinforces a clear message: protecting worker rights is no longer a bureaucratic hurdle, but a streamlined, digital standard. Sources: Digital Dubai, Gulf News, and The Economic Times (ETHRWorld EMEA).

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has extended the compliance deadline for irregular expatriate work permits to December 31, 2026. Here is how HR leaders can navigate this crucial six-month reprieve to maintain regulatory compliance and safeguard employee peace of mind. | Written by Harmanjeet Singh When it comes to managing an international workforce, nothing disrupts employee well-being, and employer compliance, quite like visa and work permit uncertainties. If your organization operates in Saudi Arabia, you and your expatriate workforce can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) recently announced a significant and highly anticipated policy update: the deadline for employers to regularize the status of foreign workers with missing or expired work permits has been officially extended to December 31, 2026. Initially set for June 30, 2026, this six-month reprieve offers HR departments a crucial window to ensure full compliance without incurring financial penalties or risking abrupt operational disruptions. Here is exactly what HR teams and employers need to know about the extension and how to use this time to safeguard both your business and your employees' peace of mind. Who Qualifies for the Extended Grace Period? According to the HRSD announcement, the extended deadline specifically targets two primary categories of expatriate workers: Workers with Long-Expired Permits: Individuals whose work permits have expired for more than 12 months. Workers with Unissued Permits: Expatriates who joined an establishment but were not issued a formal work permit within six months of their start date. If you have employees falling into either category, the December 2026 deadline is your new target to get their paperwork properly registered in the national labor system. The "Qiwa" Platform Rules: Postponed, Not Canceled A critical component of this update revolves around Saudi Arabia’s official labor portal, Qiwa. Under previous directives, workers whose permits had expired for more than three months were scheduled to be automatically removed from their employers' official employee records on the platform starting July 1, 2026. With this new extension, the automatic removal has been temporarily postponed. However, HR leaders must note that the underlying rule is not canceled. Workers with expired permits are still subject to automatic removal from the Qiwa system once the new December 31 deadline passes. Furthermore, even if a worker is eventually removed from your establishment’s records, the employer remains financially liable for all outstanding wages and government obligations accrued during the period of the expired permit. What Employers and HR Teams Must Do Now To maintain compliance and protect your foreign talent, HR teams should take the following steps immediately: Audit Your Workforce: Log into the Qiwa platform and conduct a comprehensive audit of all expatriate employee records. Identify any missing or expired work permits immediately. Initiate Renewals Proactively: Qiwa allows work permit renewals up to 180 days before the expiration date. Do not wait until December to begin the process. Check Iqama (Residency) Status: Ensure that your employees' residency permits (Iqamas) are also valid. A worker will not be removed from the system if their work permit expires but their Iqama remains valid for at least 180 days. If the Iqama has less than 180 days remaining, both must be renewed. Communicate with Your Team: Visa uncertainty is a massive source of stress for expat workers. Transparently communicate this extension to your affected staff and reassure them that the company is actively handling their paperwork. Sources: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), Qiwa Platform Directives

A new LHH survey finds 87% of HR leaders expect more mass layoffs in 2026. As tech giants like Oracle tie fresh cuts to AI, a new workplace condition known as AI layoff fatigue is eroding trust. Here is how HR leaders can navigate the transition. | Written by Harmanjeet Singh The era of "one-and-done" corporate restructuring is over. As the corporate sector navigates the reality of AI layoffs 2026, a recent LHH survey reveals a sobering metric: 87% of HR leaders globally expect more mass cuts this year. With industry heavyweights like Oracle explicitly tying recent headcount reductions to artificial intelligence and infrastructure investments, a chronic workplace condition is setting in: AI layoff fatigue. Job cuts are increasingly utilized as continuous, fiscal-year management tools to fund tech transformations. Consequently, 67% of employees are now deeply concerned about relentless restructuring, and 56% actively worry their skills will soon be obsolete. The Cost of Continuous Restructuring When layoffs are linked to technological progress rather than company failure, employee anxiety shifts from business survival to personal utility. This normalized "fire-and-rehire" cycle is severely damaging workplace morale. The LHH data highlights the operational fallout of this poorly managed transition: Diminished Trust: 25% of workers report a direct loss of trust in leadership following team layoffs. Survivor Burnout: 30% of remaining employees struggle with increased workloads alongside the emotional toll of losing colleagues. HR Strain: 64% of HR leaders report that ongoing restructuring is severely impacting their own mental well-being. Navigating the Transition in the UAE, KSA, and SGMY For HR leaders in rapidly digitizing hubs across the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), and the Singapore-Malaysia (SGMY) corridor, protecting employee wellbeing during this transition is critical to sustaining innovation. Bridge the Redeployment Visibility Gap: While 77% of HR leaders claim to offer targeted redeployment programs, only 19% of employees know they exist. HR must loudly champion internal upskilling. Transition the internal narrative from headcount reduction to re-skilling, providing employees with a clear roadmap to stay relevant. Practice Radical Transparency: If AI adoption is changing the fundamental structure of the business, communicate it clearly. Explain exactly how AI will augment remaining roles, rather than allowing the rumor mill to focus solely on the roles it will replace. Fortify Psychological Safety: In expatriate-heavy markets like the UAE and KSA, job anxiety carries the added weight of residency concerns. Expand Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to include specific counseling for career transition, financial planning, and stress management. Measure the True Cost of the Cycle: Before authorizing more cuts to fund AI initiatives, measure the hidden costs: severed client relationships, lost institutional knowledge, and plummeting productivity. According to the data, 73% of HR leaders agree that internal redeployment is ultimately more cost-effective than continuous firing and rehiring. Artificial intelligence is the future of work, but a paralyzed, fatigued workforce cannot realize its potential. The organizations that successfully integrate AI without sacrificing the trust of their people will secure the true competitive advantage. Sources: LHH Research, Corporate Filings

Prof. Dr. Stoyana Natseva, psychologist, researcher, and Founder of Happy Life Academy, argues that while organizations pour billions into digital transformation, they are overlooking the ultimate driver of their survival and success: the human mind. | Written by Prof. Dr. Stoyana Natseva Artificial intelligence is transforming business at an unprecedented speed. Every week brings a new technology capable of writing reports, analyzing data, optimizing operations, or automating customer interactions. Many organizations believe that technology will determine who succeeds and who disappears in this new era. I believe they are looking in the wrong direction. Technology changes how we work. Psychology determines whether people are willing to work together at all. Beyond the Algorithms For decades, businesses have invested billions in digital transformation while overlooking the most powerful driver of organizational success, the human mind. Today, this imbalance is becoming increasingly visible. Companies possess better technology than ever before, yet they continue to struggle with burnout, disengagement, poor communication, talent shortages, toxic workplace cultures, and ineffective leadership. These are not technological problems. They are psychological ones. This is why I believe Business Psychology is becoming one of the most important strategic disciplines of the twenty-first century. Business is often described through numbers: profit, productivity, efficiency, market share, and return on investment. These indicators measure results, but they rarely explain why those results occur. Behind every business decision stands a human decision. Behind every innovation stands human creativity. Behind every successful team stands trust. Behind every failed strategy stands human behavior. The Imperative of Conscious Leadership Organizations rarely collapse because they lack intelligence. They fail because fear replaces trust, ego replaces collaboration, stress replaces creativity, and leaders underestimate the invisible psychological forces influencing every decision made inside their companies. The greatest risk facing modern organizations is not artificial intelligence replacing people. It is leaders forgetting what makes people irreplaceable. As automation assumes repetitive and analytical tasks, qualities such as empathy, emotional regulation, ethical judgment, resilience, creativity, and authentic communication become significantly more valuable. These capabilities cannot simply be installed through software updates or automated by algorithms. They must be developed. This is where conscious leadership begins. It is not a management technique; it is a way of thinking. It starts with one essential question: Can I lead myself before attempting to lead others? A leader who cannot manage personal emotions cannot create emotional stability inside an organization. A leader who avoids self-reflection often creates cultures driven by fear rather than responsibility. A leader who measures people only through performance eventually loses both performance and people. The Case for Human Development The strongest organizations I have worked with share one common characteristic: their leaders understand that business growth is inseparable from human development. When people feel psychologically safe, they contribute ideas. When they feel respected, they become engaged. When they understand the purpose, they take ownership. When they trust leadership, they innovate. This is not idealism. It is a sustainable business strategy. Throughout my work as a psychologist, researcher, educator, and Founder of Happy Life Academy, I have observed the same principle across thousands of professionals, entrepreneurs, and executives from different industries and countries. Lasting transformation never begins with processes. It begins with perception. The moment leaders change the way they understand themselves, they change the way they communicate. Communication transforms relationships. Relationships shape organizational culture. Culture determines business performance. A Future Shaped by Psychology The most successful companies of the coming decade will therefore compete less through products and more through leadership quality. They will not ask only, "How can we become more efficient?" They will ask, "How can we unlock the full potential of our people?" Business Psychology provides practical answers to that question by combining the scientific understanding of human behavior with organizational strategy. It enables leaders to make better decisions, strengthen collaboration, reduce conflict, improve resilience, and build cultures capable of adapting to constant change. Artificial intelligence will continue evolving. Markets will continue changing. Business models will continue disappearing and emerging. But one reality will remain constant: organizations will always depend on people. And people will always be driven by psychology. The future will not belong to businesses with the most technology. It will belong to businesses that understand humanity better than anyone else. Because the greatest competitive advantage of the AI era will never be artificial intelligence. It will be human intelligence, consciously led.

Marking the latest step in a nearly six-year journey with the organisation, Abdullah Alzahrani steps into the top HR role as Saudi German Health continues to strengthen its workforce capabilities and long-term talent transformation across the region. | Written by Harmanjeet Singh Saudi German Health has officially appointed Abdullah Alzahrani as its new Group Executive Director of Human Resources, reinforcing its executive leadership team as the prominent healthcare provider continues to elevate its workforce capabilities. Alzahrani recently announced the appointment on LinkedIn, sharing his excitement about stepping into the new strategic role. The promotion marks a significant milestone in Alzahrani's nearly six-year tenure with the organisation, where he has steadily advanced through a series of critical HR leadership positions. Most recently, he served as Group HR Business Partner Director, having previously held the titles of Human Resources Director and Group Operational HR Manager. Before joining Saudi German Health in 2021, Alzahrani spent more than two years at Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, where he began his career as a Human Resources Specialist before transitioning into the role of Operational HR Manager. Throughout his career, Alzahrani has cultivated deep, sector-specific expertise in human resources and operations management. His primary focus areas include HR business partnering, workforce planning, HR governance, leadership development, and driving organisational transformation within the highly demanding healthcare sector. His strong operational background is supported by specialised academic credentials, including a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Human Resources and Strategic Management from the International Business Academy of Switzerland with a focus on healthcare organisations. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Health Administration and Hospitals from Qassim University and a Master Certificate in Human Resources Management from SHRM. Alzahrani's appointment arrives at a pivotal moment, as healthcare organisations across the Gulf region continue to invest heavily in strategic HR leadership to support advanced workforce development, operational excellence, and long-term talent retention. Source: People Matters, LinkedIn

Microsoft’s latest workforce reduction has reignited the debate around AI and jobs, even as Chief People Officer Amy Coleman insists the cuts are tied to business transformation, not direct AI replacement. | Written by Riya Malhotra Microsoft is eliminating around 4,800 roles, representing about 2.1% of its global workforce, as the company reshapes teams across its Commercial and Xbox organisations. The announcement was made in an employee memo by Amy Coleman, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Microsoft, who said the company was aligning its people, investments, and energy around the priorities needed to serve customers in a fast-changing industry. Coleman directly addressed concerns around AI-driven job displacement, stating that the eliminated roles are “not being replaced by AI.” However, she also acknowledged that AI is changing how work gets done, with some everyday tasks now capable of being automated. She added that employees will need to continue learning, building new skills, and adapting as work evolves. The cuts come as Microsoft continues to invest heavily in AI while restructuring parts of its business for greater efficiency and focus. Coleman said the company has redeployed more than 4,000 employees into new roles over the past year, including another 500 this month, and will continue looking for alternatives to job eliminations where possible. Xbox is among the most affected areas. In a separate memo to employees, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the gaming division would reduce its team by approximately 3,200 roles through FY27, including around 1,600 immediate role eliminations. She described the changes as the most significant restructuring in Xbox’s history, citing weaker business performance, lower margins, and the need for a more focused operating model. For HR leaders, the announcement highlights a growing tension in workforce transformation. Companies may insist that AI is not directly replacing employees, but AI is clearly influencing how roles are designed, how teams are structured, and which capabilities are prioritised. The Microsoft case also underlines the importance of transparent internal communication during major restructuring. Coleman’s message attempted to balance business necessity with employee support, emphasising care, redeployment, reskilling, and respect for affected workers. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, the workforce question is becoming more complex than whether technology is replacing jobs. The more immediate issue for HR is how organisations redesign work, prepare employees for new skill demands, and communicate change without eroding trust. For Microsoft, the latest cuts are part of a broader transformation. For HR leaders watching globally, they offer a clear reminder: AI may not always be the stated reason for job losses, but it is increasingly part of the context in which workforce decisions are made.

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 talent held firm, and in several categories, grew. The index draws on data from more than 220,000 job postings annually across over 7,000 companies in the UAE, Qatar, and Oman. Technology Roles Bucked The Trend The standout finding for HR and talent leaders is the performance of technology hiring. IT and digital roles fell only 6% year-on-year, and pure technology roles dropped just 3%. More significantly, hiring for AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, and data roles grew approximately 20%, demonstrating sustained and growing employer appetite for specialised digital talent regardless of broader market conditions. Engineering roles also proved comparatively resilient, down 16%. Higher-Paying Roles Held Up Strongest The index shows a clear pattern across salary bands. Higher-paying roles were considerably more insulated from the moderation in hiring activity. Jobs paying Dh41,000–80,000 dropped by just 11%, while the Dh80,000–150,000 bracket fell only 5%. Employers continued to actively search for candidates at the top end of the market throughout the period. At the mid-market level, Dh21,000–40,000 roles fell 19% and Dh11,000–20,000 roles fell 22%. Entry-level positions under Dh10,000 saw a larger adjustment at 26%, consistent with the pattern seen when companies recalibrate hiring, mid and senior roles are protected first. Qatar And Oman Added Positive Signals Beyond the UAE, the index found pockets of genuine growth across the Gulf. Qatar recorded expansion across financial services, construction, and manufacturing. Oman continued to see strength in industrial and consumer-facing sectors. Sharad Sindhwani, EVP and Business Head at Naukrigulf, noted that the numbers tell a nuanced story: "While overall activity softened compared to last year, several segments continued to attract employer demand. Technology roles held up better than the broader market in the UAE, Qatar recorded growth across financial services, construction and manufacturing, while Oman continued to see strength in industrial and consumer-facing sectors," he said. What Employers Are Looking For The report also shows that most UAE companies, around 68%, do not specify a nationality preference when hiring, reflecting the market's openness and diversity. Among those that do express a preference, Arab candidates are most sought-after at 21% of postings, followed by European and South Asian candidates at roughly 6% each. Employers seeking Arab candidates are primarily hiring for engineering, sales and marketing, and IT roles. Those preferring European candidates are focused mostly on IT and healthcare. The Bigger Picture The Naukrigulf data is consistent with the UAE's broader labour market trajectory. The UAE continues to benefit from sustained economic expansion across financial services, AI infrastructure, healthcare, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing. Government-led programmes and the continued growth of free zones and business clusters are supporting long-term employment demand, and the strength of technology hiring in the index reflects that structural momentum. Source: Naukrigulf Hiring Index, June 2026; Khaleej Times; Cooper Fitch Gulf Hiring Survey, May 2026; Foundit Middle East Insights Tracker, April 2026

Why the productivity crash you're seeing right now is the precondition for the payoff, not evidence there won't be one. | Written by Preethy Suresh PwC's 29th Global CEO Survey, released at Davos in January 2026, asked 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries a direct question. Has AI produced increased revenue or reduced costs at your company over the last 12 months? 56% said neither. Only 12% could point to both. This isn't researchers judging pilots from the outside. This is CEOs - the people who signed off on the spend, defended it to boards, put their credibility behind it. They are now admitting that most of what's been invested has produced no measurable return. The number lands harder when you look at the context. The same survey found CEO confidence in short-term revenue growth at a five-year low, at 30%, down from 38% in 2025 and 56% in 2022. AI budgets keep climbing. Boards keep pushing. And the executives being asked to justify all that spend can't yet demonstrate what it's produced. The reactions I'm seeing fall into two camps. The first is I knew it was hype. This is the AI-skeptic camp, quietly enjoying the fact that the technology is finally getting its retribution. The second is we need to push harder. More licenses, more mandates, more training drives. Two opposite reactions. Both wrong. Both making the same assumption. That the failure means the technology isn't working. What if these numbers aren't a signal that AI has been overhyped, or that we're deploying it wrong? What if they're a signal that we are, collectively and globally, sitting inside a pattern that has repeated every single time a general-purpose technology has arrived in human history? Because we are. And it has a name. The Pattern Has a Name The economist Erik Brynjolfsson and his team, wrote a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2018 called "The Productivity J-Curve: How Intangibles Complement General Purpose Technologies." Their argument is straightforward. When a general-purpose technology like AI arrives, productivity doesn't climb. It dips. Sometimes for years. This happens because the technology requires enormous complementary investments before the gains materialise. Process redesign. New business models. New human capability. New organisational structures. The shape on the chart is a J. The dip is the bottom of it. The climb on the other side is steep. In a follow-up paper published with the US Census Bureau in November 2024, Brynjolfsson and his co-authors did something more useful. They confirmed the J-curve is happening right now, at the firm level, in AI adoption specifically. Short-run losses from organisational disruption. Medium-term performance improvements once the redesign catches up. Documented. Measurable. Predictable. We've Seen This Movie Before Factories electrified in the 1890s. Productivity stayed flat for roughly thirty years. Why? Because factories were still laid out for steam power, with one massive central engine driving everything through belts and shafts. Electricity's real power was distribution. A motor on every machine, modular floor plans, completely different workflows. The technology arrived in a decade. The operating model took a generation. Fast-forward to 1987. Nobel laureate Robert Solow wrote a review in the New York Times Book Review called "We'd Better Watch Out", where he made the observation that later became famous. "You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics." Companies had bought computers for everyone. Productivity didn't move. It took until the late 1990s, when business processes were finally redesigned around digital workflows rather than digitised versions of paper ones, for the gains to show up. Every general-purpose technology in modern history has done this. Electricity. Computers. The internet. AI is not the exception. AI is the rule. The pilots stalling. The ROI missing. The 56% of CEOs who can't demonstrate a return. That isn't the end of the story. It's the middle. We are sitting in the dip, and every quarter spent there generates a fresh round of claims that the technology has failed. Almost none of those claims recognise the shape of the curve they're standing on. What Actually Happens in the Dip Two wrong reactions dominate right now. Pull back. AI was overhyped. Let's slow down. Let the dust settle. This is the reaction that lost companies the internet. Lost them mobile. Lost them cloud. The dip is the worst possible moment to disengage. Every quarter spent on the sidelines is a quarter competitors are spending on the redesign. Push harder on the tool. More training. More licenses. Mandate it. Force it. This is the reaction that produced the 56% number in the first place. Pushing harder on a tool while the operating model stays the same doesn't get you up the curve. It just makes the dip deeper. Both reactions have the same root cause. They treat AI as a technology problem. It isn't. It's an operating model problem. The dip isn't empty time. The dip is where the work happens. And the work has a name. Workforce architecture. The small percentage of organisations that will come out of the dip on the upswing are doing the same things. They're mapping work at the task level, not the job level. They're sorting tasks into Automate, Enhance, and Elevate. They're redesigning teams around the new work, not retrofitting new tools into old org charts. They're rebuilding performance management, career paths, hiring profiles, and learning systems, because every one of those was designed for a pre-AI work model. Every productivity revolution in modern history started with a period that looked exactly like failure. Every single one. The companies that won weren't the ones who saw the future most clearly. They were the ones who did the unglamorous redesign work while everyone else was panicking, hedging, or pretending the dip wasn't real. We are in the dip right now. The next two to three years will decide which companies make it up the other side, and which ones spend the rest of the decade explaining why their AI investment didn't deliver.