Prime Highlights
- Employees across the Middle East are adopting digital workplace tools faster than the global average, showing strong readiness for technological change.
- Support from governments and businesses is helping digital tools become a regular part of everyday work across industries.
Key Facts
- PwC’s Middle East Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 found that 75% of employees in the region used digital tools at work in the past year.
- This adoption rate is higher than the global average of 69%, based on responses from 1,286 employees.
Background:
Advanced digital tools are becoming a regular part of daily work across the Middle East, with employees in the region adopting new technologies faster than their global counterparts, according to a new PwC workforce survey.
PwC Middle East Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 established that 75 percent of the employees in the Middle East utilised digital tools in the workplace in the last year, against 69 percent in the rest of the world. The results show a clear move from limited testing to widespread, everyday use, supported by strong government initiatives and corporate digital transformation efforts.
Based on feedback from 1,286 employees, the survey also found that nearly one-third of workers use advanced digital tools daily. This puts the Middle East at the forefront of the global average and is an indicator of the increasing confidence and knowledge of modern workplace technologies in the various industries.
The trend is particularly visible in Saudi Arabia, where national initiatives and a strong data governance framework have supported rapid progress in advanced technologies. Recent reports show that a large majority of CEOs in the Kingdom are prepared to deploy AI responsibly, supported by institutions such as the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority. Saudi Arabia has also ranked among the top global performers for growth in the AI sector.
PwC Middle East partner Randa Bahsoun said employees are increasingly open to change and keen to build new capabilities, but they also want reassurance as technology reshapes the workplace. She said organizations that clearly explain how job roles will change, invest in employee learning, and support wellbeing will be better able to retain skilled workers.
According to PwC, the key aspect that companies should adopt in order to transform present gains into future gains is to communicate better with the employees, to take part in continuous learning, and to maintain manageable workloads. The firm stressed the need for clear guidance on how new technologies are used, strong support from managers, flexible work options, and a workplace culture that encourages innovation while protecting employee well-being.
“The Middle East workforce shows optimism, ambition, and adaptability,” PwC said in its conclusion. “The next step is for leaders to ensure that technology, trust, and talent move forward together.”
Similar views were echoed in a recent KPMG report, which noted that companies in the UAE are increasing AI investment while redesigning roles and planning workforce expansion, underscoring the region’s growing confidence in an AI-enabled future of work.
