One morning, in the early months of 2025, Youssef found himself in the HR’s cabin—listening to what was the second pitch in the same week from upper management. “Youssef, you need to start looking into hiring potential candidates with degrees first, skills second,” said HR. He walked out after that 15-minute meeting, shrugging his shoulders, not in annoyance with the meeting itself but in disagreement with what he was tasked to do.
Back in his cabin, Youssef began browsing for current tech insights in the industry on his laptop when he chanced upon the latest KPMG UAE Tech Report. The report shared data on technology leaders who are overwhelmingly prioritizing improved skill literacy over formal credentials today. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, knowing the future of his company depended on rethinking what a role, a team, and a leader should look like in a rapidly evolving economy.
Across the United Arab Emirates, from Downtown Bur Dubai to the high-rise buildings of Abu Dhabi, businesses now vet candidates by what they can do and not where they studied. With harsh market indicators breathing down the necks of company board members, the competition for high-performing talent and rising digital infrastructure investments force this shift. Today, these changes already ripple through hiring, leadership, and performance practices in most companies worldwide, pushing forward a new system for recruiting potential candidates.
Degrees Don’t Deliver Like Skills Do
The technology sector in the UAE leads by example. According to another KPMG Tech Report 2024, leaders in UAE firms rank “improving employee tech literacy” significantly higher than organizing large advertising or branding campaigns. Across many organizations, being able to use AI tools, understand and explain data, and write clean code or scripts simply outweighs two or even three degrees.
Meanwhile, the UAE dominates global data-center rankings. Abu Dhabi and Dubai now stand first and second, respectively, in Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Data Center Market Comparison 2025. With over 250 MW of live capacity and another 500 MW in development, Information Technology (IT) infrastructure readiness in the region isn’t just a promise to the people; it’s proof. As companies build this digital backbone, they need teams with hands-on skills in edge computing, cloud, systems integration, and cybersecurity.
Emerging Trends Rewriting Management Practices in 2025
The following are three emerging trends that are taking over management practices in 2025:
- Flexible Work and Expectations – The population growth in the UAE jumped to 11.34 million in 2024, a 5.7% increase from the previous year. This prompted other companies to adapt to where and how people work. According to JobXDubai’s UAE Work Trends 2025 blog, hybrid and remote work models gain strength not just as employee perks but as tools for attracting skilled talent and retaining diversity. Employers offer remote work policies, flexible hours, and performance-based pay. These changes impact how and where leadership roles stand in companies today: managers become facilitators of outcomes and not just overseers of presence.
- Automation + Human Insights – Speaking for just the last few years alone, companies are investing heavily in AI and automation. They build machines and software that automate tasks but stress empathetic internal communication. CEO or department heads require tech-savvy professionals who also possess soft skills: adaptability, emotional intelligence, and inclusive leadership. As per reports by KPMG, firms in the UAE extend special importance to communicating across functions, maintaining fluid growth, and improving employees’ digital literacy.
- Improved Workplace Experiences – Employees don’t just work; they also want environments that help them focus, support creativity, and improve overall well-being. A 2025 Global Workplace Survey found that many UAE employees believe that their offices fall short because of rigid rules and a lack of quiet zones, despite the strong digital connectivity. For employees in the UAE, and anywhere else for that matter, workspace design, flexibility, and wellness services result in not only employee satisfaction but also retention.
So What Must Leaders Do?
To manage effectively in this aptitude-focused era, leaders in the UAE should:
- Define Roles by Skills, Not Degrees – Leaders must foster a culture where employees are encouraged to use certification programs, case simulations, skill assessments, and tests rather than purely academic credentials.
- Invest in Continuous Learning – Equipping employees with progressive reskilling and upskilling sessions is an important investment with positive returns. Internal mobility of a company is encouraged when government-led training programs are provided, or even when partnerships are formed on the basis of accelerating AI, digital skills, and cloud.
- Design Leadership for Hybrid and Flexible Teams – Companies must establish trust-based performance metrics so that leaders are capable enough to manage outcomes rather than processes. Blending digital collaboration tools with face-to-face connection is one way to go about it. For example, Slack, Trello, Skype, Microsoft Teams, etcetera.
- Prioritize Digital Infrastructure and Reliability – Leaders must ensure that systems are reliable and strong with fast internet, cloud readiness, and data security, so that teams can perform anywhere and at any time. As reported by Cushman & Wakefield’s Global Data Center Market Comparison 2025, the UAE’s investment in data centers and digital government services draws more attention to strengthening its IT landscape.
- Build Inclusion + Empathy – Companies and leaders must know that skill-based hiring can diversify teams, but it’s only inclusive practices that’ll make them thrive. And so, focusing on voice, well-being, and purposeful belonging will be a step forward in helping both employees and leaders to understand and work with one another.
The UAE’s Future of Skills-First Leaders
Youssef closed the KPMG report and glanced over at his team of young, talented, skill-rich, and degree-diverse professionals. The UAE is moving fast, and it isn’t enough for organizations to keep hiring candidates who merely hold the “right papers”; they need those with the right capabilities. In 2026, success belongs to leaders who see potential in what people can do, not in just what they once achieved. And as digital infrastructure strengthens in the UAE, competition rises and expectations shift, ushering in a management era of agility, outcomes, and human-first leadership.
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