Abu Dhabi ‘trying to reduce blue-collar population' as it focuses on knowledge-based economy
Abu Dhabi is focusing on knowledge-based sectors that employ white-collar professionals, and trying to reduce the blue-collar workforce, a senior official said on Wednesday.
'We're trying to reduce the blue-collar population, [although] we're thankful for them ... We're looking for companies that have technologies that Abu Dhabi can really make use of; for example, the vertical-farming technologies."
"For example, a lot of vertical-farming technology companies have been given incentives that are making the emirate a springboard for regional expansion. This gives Abu Dhabi more traction to attract other investors within that sector,' said Mohamed Al Shorafa, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport.
Abu Dhabi's population has grown exponentially in the past four years, making the emirate the most populated city in the UAE. The city aims to double its population by 2040.
The Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) reported in June 2024 that the population of the capital reached 3.789 million, an increase of 83 per cent compared to 2011.
The employed workforce is divided into 46 per cent white-collar workers, a category that has seen a 109 per cent surge since 2011, and 54 per cent blue-collar workers, a group that has experienced 65 per cent growth compared to 2011.
'Based on the Falcon Economy Strategy, we are anticipating to double the population by 2040.'
The UAE federal government is also pushing towards attracting and establishing knowledge and innovation-based firms which will require more white-collar professionals to drive the economy to the next stage of growth.
20% autonomous taxis by 2030
He noted that Abu Dhabi is investing a lot into AI, and attracting companies that are investing in artificial intelligence in different sectors.
'Most of our decision-making is driven through data and AI. We have a lot of sensors, and intelligent traffic systems that can give us data that helps anticipate where the congestion might happen,' he said during the Investopia 2025 conference in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Abu Dhabi was the first in the region to launch autonomous taxi in 2021.
'By 2030, we are targeting 20 per cent of our public taxis to be autonomous. We're working a lot with international companies that have already invested in our autonomous sandboxes and our pilot projects. We've invested in the electrification of our bus network as well, and more will come. We're in discussion with private players to come and develop their own mobility systems and platforms so that all systems can talk to each other and make it easier for people.'
Al Shorafa also noted that the most important investment that the government is making is in the development of transportation infrastructure.
'We've earmarked over Dh65 billion for transportation projects including tunnels, new roads and expansions of existing networks,' he said.
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