UAE’s drone industry is actively hiring, with AI skills getting Dh30,000 plus

UAE’s drone industry is actively hiring, with AI skills getting Dh30,000 plus

The pay scales are certainly looking good, with operators likely to earn between Dh4800 and Dh13,700 a month, while UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) engineers can pick up above Dh22,000 to Dh25,000. Throw in a bit of AI specialization skills into it and the candidates pay scales can cross Dh30,000, according to the Economic Research Institute.

As multiple UAE sectors take to drone possibilities, “The UAE’s UAV sector holds an addressable value of approximately $1.1 billion,” said Alex Lapirov, CEO of Microavia, which has localised the entire drone manufacturing cycle from its Dubai Silicon Oasis hub (which opened in 2022).

Our most valuable asset is our people. In the UAE, we have access to talent from all over the world. - Alex Lapirov

“This value is expected to grow significantly, especially with the expansion into logistics and human transportation using autonomous flying vehicles.”

As home-grown commercial drone manufacturers see a surge in their order books, the utilization of UAVs now spans infrastructure, agriculture, transportation and entertainment. This is the demand feeding into jobs for software and drone engineers, pilots, operators, business development managers, videographers and editors, as well as technicians.

Growth plans

Microavia has plans for significant capacity and product expansions to cater to rising demand in