Having lived through COVID in London, the past few months have felt surprisingly familiar. Many offices remained open, but where possible businesses encouraged employees to work remotely, prioritising safety while ensuring operations continued with minimal disruption. We also saw some professionals — particularly those relocating with families — temporarily leave the region or begin working from other international offices. In some cases, individuals chose to relocate to other tax-efficient jurisdictions while waiting for the situation to stabilise, allowing firms to maintain business continuity without disrupting longer-term relocation plans.

From conversations with clients and candidates across the region, recruitment activity hasn't stopped. Interviews are continuing, offers are still being made, and international talent remains willing to relocate. Some hiring processes have taken a little longer, with start dates pushed back or candidates beginning in another international office before relocating once circumstances allow, but very few have been cancelled altogether.

Over the past six weeks, following the ceasefire, hiring activity has largely returned to normal. The broad expectation from conversations with clients is that, if stability continues, the market will return to its typical post-summer rhythm, with teams and relocating professionals returning to the UAE as they ordinarily would after the holiday period.

If the past few months have demonstrated anything, it's that businesses investing in the UAE continue to take a long-term view of the region. Short-term uncertainty has influenced how some firms hire, but it hasn't fundamentally changed why they're here. For organisations building technology teams, the focus remains on long-term capability, not short-term disruption.