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40,000 metaverse jobs in Dubai: These are the roles that will be in demand

Remote work is the future of technology industry, says expert

The Dubai Metaverse Strategy announced on Monday will support 40,000 virtual jobs and add $4 billion to the emirate’s economy in five years. Human resources industry executives and metaverse experts have detailed to Khaleej Times what these jobs that will be created over the next few years may entail.

Roles may be as diverse as digital architects, AR and VR engineers, 3D graphic designers, artists and architects, innovators, NFT experts, storytellers and digital salespeople and even customer service agents.

Strategy and planning

Sharad Agarwal, chief metaverse officer at Cyber Gear, said the first thing when a company enters the metaverse is to have a person who can develop a strategy that involves defining a roadmap and blueprint for a step-by-step approach for building in the metaverse.

“There are various building blocks in the metaverse that require different skill sets. The first resource a company needs is a strategic planning person. Metaverse is all about immersive experiences which means firms will need AR and VR engineers, 3D graphics designers, artists and architects for 3D drawings and buildings to create digital twins, which is mapping the real world in the virtual world,” said Agarwal.

Blockchain programmers

In addition, he said the other job that could potentially come up in this field is that of a blockchain programmer, since the metaverse has to be built on a blockchain platform.

NFT experts, content developers

“Then firms will need people who understand integrating wallet and payment gateways. The next breed of people is those who understand NFT because NFT is a way of monetisation, a way of building loyalty programs etc. Also, metaverse firms will require content developers who can tell a story – called ‘storytellers’. They will be able to create original and engaging content. And then there will be jobs for the people who have existing networks either on LinkedIn or Twitter that will help build an audience,” added Agarwal.

He stressed that building community is key to success and it takes time to build community.

“Firms need expertise in all these areas. Even one hole you don’t plug correctly, it is a recipe for disaster,” he said, adding that Web3 is not about tech - it is a mindset, and CEOs need to have a mindset of collaboration rather than competition.

Virtual jobs explained

George Foley, senior consultant at Michael Page, said virtual jobs are the life force behind building the metaverse. “They are very real positions that will significantly impact both the economy and your day-to-day life, so please don't get misled by their 'virtual' titles!”

He said, “The metaverse is quickly becoming a reality and with that, you will need people to build this virtual world for us. This means there's an entirely new set of jobs for digital architects, world builders and innovators. We can also expect to see adaptions of current jobs in the form of live 'virtual' performances, digital salespeople and even customer service roles,” added Foley.

Remote work, freelancers

Vijay Gandhi, regional director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Korn Ferry, said remote work was very rare a decade ago.

“With flexible work-from-home policies and advanced telework technology, we will find more professionals working from Dubai. Virtual jobs identified as not requiring a physical work location will be the future in the technology, fashion and service industry. Jobs like web developers, digital roles, virtual tutoring, video editing, influencers on social media, bloggers, and freelance writers will be a few roles which will thrive irrelevant of physical location. Given the high proportion of white-collar jobs traditionally done in an office, the remote rate among these workers in future is particularly noteworthy,” added Gandhi.

Key sectors

Arshad Khan, co-founder and CEO of Yoshi Markets, said as part of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, there are several job opportunities which would arise.

“On a fundamental level, virtual jobs in the education and training sectors are expected to rise. This follows the increase in online learning in schools, universities and other institutions which took place regularly in the past two years during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, the harnessing of futuristic metaverse technologies is expected to guarantee jobs in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector, in addition to artificial intelligence, startups, entrepreneurship, virtual reality and Web3,” he said.

Crypto jobs

“The cryptocurrency and blockchain industry gave rise the technologies such as the metaverse and NFTs, and so it is expected that crypto-based jobs will continue to proliferate in Dubai and the UAE as a whole. The digital economy is expected to thrive as well, with increased content creation and software development serving as hallmarks of the economic and technological transformation at hand. Functional expertise, such as those related to machine learning, IoT, cybersecurity and cyberlaw are also expected to grow,” added Khan.

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