AI Now Helps Decide Who Gets Hired, Promoted, and Laid Off in the UAE, Reveals Survey
Confidence in AI is rising, with 42% employers saying they trust the technology to support critical decisions.
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[Image: Chetan Jha/MITSMR Middle East]
In the UAE, AI isn’t just helping people work better—it’s increasingly helping employers make some of the most critical workplace decisions, including hiring, promotion, and termination.
According to a recent survey conducted by HireRight, a global background screening and workforce solutions provider, 42% of employers sought AI guidance to support promotion decisions—the highest among all markets surveyed. Meanwhile, AI assisted 31% of employers with employee termination decisions.
”The research shows that many UAE HR leaders are adopting a pragmatic stance on candidates’ use of generative AI tools. The focus is shifting from whether candidates use AI to how organizations assess their authenticity and suitability for the role, something that robust background screening can support,” said James Randall, Middle East Sales Director at HireRight.
Employers are relying on AI to achieve a balanced view of candidates during recruitment and beyond. The YouGov survey revealed that 67% of HR leaders are confident in identifying AI-assisted CVs and job applications.
Randall highlights that the country’s HR decision-makers are more focused on verifying a candidate’s authenticity and suitability for the role. In reality, 44% of them hold a positive view of candidates’ use of AI, while only seven percent view it negatively.
Concerns of Using AI: Employer Edition
Beyond the use cases of AI for promotion and layoff, the survey shed light on a key concern in the recruitment process: identity theft. Nearly 63% leaders noted uncovering identity fraud among candidates or employees during 2025, one of the highest rates recorded across the markets surveyed. Among those detected, 30% were identified during recruitment, 29% through employee rescreening or monitoring, and 40% after fraudulent activity or theft had already occurred.
Finding qualified candidates continues to remain a challenge for nearly 32% of employers, while an equal percentage cited the large volume of job applications as a problem. Meanwhile, over 30% shared that meeting salary and benefits expectations was becoming increasingly difficult.
Nearly 30% experienced increased turnover among new hires, 28% reported higher recruitment costs, and 27% said vacancies remained unfilled for between three and six months.
“In a market where hiring costs are rising, fraud is more prevalent than the global average, and AI is reshaping how workforce decisions are made, organizations that will succeed are those combining rigorous screening, human judgment, and smart use of technology,” he said.
While the UAE remains an attractive destination for talent worldwide, Randall advises that organizations must balance technology with sound hiring judgment.
