Workday expands to the UAE with a new Dubai office

Workday launched operations in the United Arab Emirates on October 1, 2026, anchored by a new office in Dubai. The expansion includes dedicated regional operations and expanded local leadership to support customer demand and partnerships across the Middle East.

Alongside the launch, the company released findings from its report, Beyond Productivity: Measuring the Real Value of AI in the UAE. The study found that 90% of employees in the country use artificial intelligence at least weekly, with 58% using it multiple times per week and 18% using it every working day. More than half of directors and C-suite executives also report weekly AI usage.

The survey noted that employees save an average of 3.6 hours per week using AI, but spend 3.4 hours clarifying, correcting, or rewriting low-quality outputs. Regarding resource allocation, 33% of organisations handle larger workloads without adding headcount, 32% reinvest savings into employee training and upskilling, and another 32% direct efficiencies toward workplace flexibility and well-being. Only 24% use AI gains primarily for cost reduction, while just 0.2% reported no meaningful time or cost savings.

Senior leadership marking the opening included Angelique De Vries-Schipperijn, President of EMEA, and Zakaria Haltout, Group Vice President for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. Workday stated that more than 11,500 organisations globally, including over 65% of the Fortune 500, use its software platform.