Expo 2020 provides 94,000 job opportunities in various fields

Expo 2020 Dubai is a significant catalyst for reviving various industries and economic activity associated with this worldwide event, which will begin in early October and run through March 31, 2022, with over 190 nations participating.

Last Reviewed: April 2026 | Sources: DrJobPro Hiring Data Q1 2026.

 In conjunction with the impending launch of
Expo 2020 Dubai, demand for employment in the UAE has seen a remarkable
recovery since the start of the third quarter of this year, with numerous
entities associated with Expo 2020 beginning to announce the availability of multiple
jobs for them, in addition to the jobs provided by the countries’ pavilions.

 Employment experts anticipate that Expo 2020
will positively impact the country’s labor market in the short and long term
and contribute to reviving demand for jobs across all sectors in the coming
years, particularly in the hotel, hospitality, retail, logistics, and
management sectors.

In the following
months, events and facilities will take center stage in the most heavily
employed industries. The UAE Purchasing Managers Index for July, released by
the “IHS Markit” organization, indicated a substantial growth in the
UAE’s employment rate, the fastest since January 2019, with optimistic
predictions that relaxing restrictions on the Covid-19 virus the Expo will
assist. Dubai 2020 is dependent on economic growth.

Expo 2020,
according to the Administrative Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com, the
job site, will result in positive changes and developments in the country’s
labor market in the short and long term, as well as increased job opportunities
in a variety of sectors, most notably aviation, tourism, and hospitality. The
exhibition will assist these industries is progressively recovering from the
impacts of the Corona epidemic while also contributing to the growth of retail,
construction, commerce, and other vital sectors.

Recently,
the site revealed the availability of about 4,000 new positions in the UAE
between April and June 2021, a 25% increase over the first quarter of 2021,
indicating a surge in online recruiting activities in the UAE.

According to
data from the website, over 250 thousand job applications were made in the UAE
between April and June 2021.

In terms of demand, hotels and hospitality are the market leaders.

In the
hospitality sector, Mohamed Awadallah, CEO of Time Hotels Group, revealed a
noticeable increase in employment in Dubai’s hotel sector in conjunction with
the approach of Expo 2020 and the remarkable improvement in occupancy levels,
noting that the rise in employment is consistent with the hotel and hospitality
sector’s plans to keep up with expected demand over the next decade. He said
that bookings in the group’s hotels are doing well at the moment, as we have
begun getting several individual and group inquiries for reservations
throughout the exhibition time.

Awadallah
added that in conjunction with the continued expectation of millions of foreign
visitors, Expo 2020 Dubai would provide a significant boost to the hospitality
sector in particular and the tourism sector in general, including the
conference and exhibition industry, as the influx of visitors will not only
help increase demand for hotel accommodations but will also help position the
city as a global tourism destination.

According to
a recent Bayt.com study, the hotel and entertainment industry was the second
most employing sector for new graduates in the UAE. It was particularly
prevalent in industries that face severe competition for jobs, particularly
among the youth.

During the Expo, 94,000 jobs were created.

According to
the Economic Influence Study of Expo 2020 Dubai done by Ernst & Young, a
global accounting and financial consulting firm, Expo 2020 Dubai is a long-term
investment for the UAE and is projected to have a substantial direct and
indirect impact on the economy and employment creation. Expo 2020 Dubai
supports about 94,400 full-time employment throughout the exhibition’s run,
including over 51,100 jobs in the restaurants and hotel industry alone.

 The research predicted that the event’s
economic effect would peak between October 2020 and April 2021 due to the
anticipated 25 million visits to the site and the costs incurred by guests
within and outside the exposition, including airline services, hotels, food,
and food drinks, and commerce.

The study
estimated the economic impact of total value added during this period at
approximately 22.7 billion dirhams, with the restaurant and hotel sector
accounting for approximately 39% of the total, as the industry will be the most
impacted, followed by the event organization and commercial services sector,
with about 20% of spending likely directed toward the site.

 Amounting to about 505 million dirhams in
support of small and medium-sized businesses.

Marvin
Francis, a Senior Consultant at Madison Pearl Employment Company, anticipated
that Expo 2020 Dubai would result in significant changes to the job market in
the UAE in general and in Dubai in particular, noting that the expected growth
in sectors related to Expo 2020, such as tourism, hospitality, real estate,
technology, retail, and financial services, would result in increased demand
for skilled labor.

Flexibility of employment

Mahesh
Shahdadpuri, CEO of TASC Flexible Outsourcing and Recruitment, stated that the
UAE’s employment market had seen a gradual increase in demand for short and medium-term
jobs in sectors related to Expo 2020 since the beginning of the third quarter
of this year.

He noted
that the highest percentage of jobs are in the hotel and hospitality sectors,
event management and coordination, technology, lighting, and retail, as well as
security, guarding, and facility management, and that Expo 2020 Dubai will
generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs before, during, and after the
event. He noted that the expansion of the job market associated with Expo 2020
Dubai in the UAE would have a noticeable effect on the national economy’s
performance, which is gearing up for a new phase of growth as a result of the
government’s incentives to various sectors.

crucial role

Dubai Economic
recently highlighted the tourism sector’s critical role in the emirate’s
economy, noting that this role is indirect. It increases the added value of
other related industries such as aviation, airports, land and maritime
transport, and construction.

 He noted that tourism generated an added value
of approximately 20.1 billion dirhams and contributed 5.1 percent to GDP last
year, with the expectation that “Expo 2020 Dubai” will develop over
94.4 thousand full-time jobs, including 51.1 thousand jobs (54 percent of total
employment) in the accommodation and restaurant services sector.

The United
Arab Emirates is a magnet for global talent.

The UAE is
home to a globally diverse and educated workforce. The International Institute
for Management Development’s Global Talent Ranking Report ranked the country 24th
overall, first in the Senior Managers Index and second in the
“availability of skilled labor” and “global expertise
availability” indices. Additionally, the country ranked among the top ten
in employee training, employee incentives, and the number of highly skilled
foreign workers.

To keep up with the growing labor market requirements, the country’s higher education institutions have a strong presence, which qualifies them to act as a catalyst for innovation, support and nurture an entrepreneurial culture, and strengthen the start-up ecosystem from idea generation to marketing.

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