CatererGlobal Breakfast Insights Event

Hosted by Jeremy Vercoe, Sales Manager at CatererGlobal, the event featured an expert panel of industry leaders, including:

• Marie-Louise Ek – Vice President, Human Resources: Middle East & Africa @ Hilton
• Hein Dames – Vice President, Human Resources: Middle East, Europe, India & Americas @ Shangri-La Group
• Taha Shabhaz, Ambassador @ ImInclusive
• Dinesh Chaudari, Director of Human Resources and Talent @ Palazzo Versace Dubai
• Calvern James, Hospitality Director at CatererGloal

Drawing on the latest CatererGlobal research, the panel delved into some of the most important challenges facing UAE hospitality employers today, uncovering exciting opportunities for growth and innovation in the region.

Key takeaways:

1. How employers are tackling hiring challenges

As the UAE’s hospitality sector continues to grow, employers in the region are overcoming a range of challenges when it comes to attracting top talent, retaining staff, and overcoming skills shortages.

One of the most striking findings from CatererGlobal’s research is that 78% of hospitality employers in the UAE have revised their pay and benefits packages in the past year. That’s a 14% increase from 2022, and it shows that employers are proactively tackling recruitment challenges through higher salaries (52%), flexible work arrangements (25%), and improved benefits like increased holiday allowances (9%) and relocation support (6%).

Furthermore, the latest Decoding Global Talent report by StepStone and Boston Consulting Group reveals that across the globe, the number one priority for workers is job security. Interestingly, for people working in the UAE, this is number two—with the biggest focus being the opportunity to learn and develop their career.

What’s really encouraging is that for hospitality workers in the UAE, job security follows both learning and career development and an ambition to lead and take on more responsibilities. This shows that, in a strengthening industry, hospitality workers in the UAE are facing their career with confidence, and looking to develop themselves, to the benefit of the industry, and employers across the UAE.

For employers, this highlights the need for dedicated learning and development programmes—not just to attract and retain talent, but also to cultivate high-performing teams for years to come.

2. Embracing DE&I in the workplace

Throughout the event, it became clear that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) is no longer just a buzzword; it’s something both candidates and recruiters take seriously. In fact, 8 in 10 employers and jobseekers now believe that DE&I is crucial to the recruitment process.

The focus on hiring diverse teams—especially in terms of gender, nationality, and age—is stronger than ever. It’s particularly encouraging to see that age diversity has experienced a significant boost, with a 10% increase since CatererGlobal’s last survey, while disability inclusion has also grown by 5%.

The good news? Three in four (75%) recruiters are now running DE&I initiatives or have plans in place to introduce them soon. This signals clear progress towards creating more equitable workplaces in the UAE. The growing emphasis on age and disability indicates that the region is aligning more closely with markets overseas.

However, for a quarter (25%) of employers who do not yet have plans for DE&I initiatives in place, there is a potential risk, especially when 64% of candidates say their decision to apply for a role is influenced by a company’s DE&I policies.

One of the main takeaways from the discussion was that employers who are slow to embrace these practices might find it increasingly difficult to attract the talent they need in the future.

3. Technology as a key to success

The evolving role of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), was another major topic of discussion at the event.

It’s interesting to note that while 52% of candidates are already using AI in their job search, only 33% of recruiters worldwide are currently leveraging AI in their recruitment.

Positively though, there is a more frequent use of Gen AI across the UAE (47%) than globally (33%) showing that the UAE market is more advanced when it comes to forward-thinking recruitment practices.

Among the businesses utilising this technology, 27% are using it for candidate screening, while others deploy it to respond to applicants (24%) and support the interview process (16%).

Encouragingly, two-thirds of employers are already witnessing the benefits of technology in recruitment. With 21% planning to ramp up their use of AI in the coming months, it’s clear that this trend is here to stay.

This shift is promising news for the industry. As AI becomes more frequently used, it offers significant cost-saving benefits by reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks like CV screening and interview scheduling. Importantly, it can also help mitigate bias in recruitment, further supporting DE&I initiatives.

This is where cutting edge developments from CatererGlobal and The StepStone Group will be able to help employers in the UAE streamline their hiring more and more in the months and years to come.

Final thoughts

Looking ahead, the job market looks positive for employers in the UAE. Almost half (46%) of global respondents to the Decoding Global Talent study say they are actively looking to leave their country and work in the UAE. With the UAE making the top 10 list of countries younger respondents (up to 40 years old) would be willing to relocate to, it’s clear that the pull of the country is growing even stronger.

The CatererGlobal Breakfast Insights Event provided a valuable platform for UAE hospitality leaders to exchange ideas, share insights, and explore strategies to navigate the ever-changing job market. With a focus on improving DE&I, offering robust career development opportunities, and leveraging technology to its full potential, the UAE’s hospitality sector is well-positioned for continued growth in the coming years.