Employee Experience
Job Hugging in the Middle East: Why Professionals Are Staying Put
Why are Middle East employees holding on to their jobs? Korn Ferry’s experts unpack the region’s growing job-hugging trend.
October 23, 2025
While much of the commentary on job hugging is global, the Gulf region (GCC) presents its own unique dynamics. In the Middle East, Gen Z professionals—who globally have been seen as the archetypal job hoppers—are demonstrating a different posture: staying put. The Fast Company Middle East article “This is why Gen Z professionals in the Gulf aren’t quitting their jobs” sheds light on this.
In that article, Mohamed Saleh, Senior Principal Consultant at Korn Ferry, offers a pointed observation:
“Job hugging is when employees hold on to their jobs out of caution and need security rather than genuine loyalty,” says Mohamed Saleh. “In the UAE, our data shows an overall turnover rate of 6.2% in 2024, indicating many are staying put in uncertain times.”
Saleh’s framing suggests that what on the surface looks like loyalty may in fact be a defensive posture—a shelter against volatility. Our Korn Ferry Employee Experience data point (6.2% turnover) highlights that, even amid a nominally fluid labor market, people are staying put in greater numbers.
The article also cites broader surveys from Korn Ferry showing that 82% of Gen Z would stay if their job offers security, and 89% if it offers competitive pay—yet only 48% foresee staying more than five years, a figure well below that of older cohorts.
In the Gulf, additional factors compound the tendency to hold on:
- Visa and sponsorship effects for expatriate workers create a natural “lock-in” mechanism.
- Housing, schooling, and benefits tied to employment make riskier moves less attractive.
- Employer incentive structures sometimes favor long tenure over performance, reinforcing the inertia.
Thus, in the GCC, job hugging may reflect a rational calculus—not just fear.
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How Organizations Can Navigate the Risks:
- Differentiate retention from engagement: Just because employees don’t leave doesn’t mean they’re invested.
- Strengthen performance systems: Use feedback, assessment, and development tools to spot who is thriving— and who is merely surviving.
- Design roles for progression: Embed mobility, stretch assignments, and skill evolution into job frameworks.
- Foster psychological safety and purpose: Help employees feel their staying is an active, valued decision.
Want to learn more? Contact Korn Ferry to learn more about our employee experience surveys.
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