Shaping Tomorrow: Insights from the 2025 Future of Work Forum in Dubai

Dubai's Future of Work Forum 2025 brought together global leaders to discuss innovation-driven labour markets. Key topics included AI's impact on jobs, wage policy, and education's role in workforce development. UAE's proactive labour strategies and private sector growth were highlighted as exemplar models in aligning with technological advancements.

In a significant gathering of global leaders, the Future of Work Forum 2025 commenced in Dubai, orchestrated by the UAE's Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in partnership with the World Governments Summit Organisation. The event served as a platform for Ministers of Labour, policymakers, and business leaders to engage in crucial discussions on sculpting a future work environment steeped in innovation and sustainability.

The forum, which featured six enlightening sessions, addressed a spectrum of topics ranging from wage policy formulation and its influence on economic productivity to the burgeoning role of artificial intelligence in transforming work patterns and productivity. Highlighting the forum's critical importance, Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, UAE's Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, underscored the need to anticipate significant shifts in global labour markets amidst rapid technological advancements.

Dr Al Awar elaborated on the UAE's strides in modernising labour regulations and creating a secure work environment, citing the introduction of new visa programmes and expanded social security measures. These initiatives, aimed at attracting global talent, have propelled the UAE's labour market to the top in global competitiveness rankings. The forum also delved into the importance of aligning education with market needs, showcasing a remarkable increase in vocational institutes over the past five years and strengthening ties between higher education institutions and the private sector.

(With inputs from agencies.)