The unified framework links human and financial resources with government service outputs to strengthen decision-making
Dubai is standardizing how its government measures workforce productivity, expanding a five-year initiative into a unified system that already covers 32 government entities and uses advanced analytics to connect resources with service delivery.
The Dubai Government Human Resources Department, or DGHR, has adopted the Workforce Productivity Measurement System as a unified government-wide framework pursuant to Executive Council Resolution No. 67 of 2025. The move is designed to strengthen resource-allocation efficiency, support policy development and provide government entities with more accurate and forward-looking information for decision-making.
The framework measures workforce productivity while examining the relationship between human resources, financial resources and government service outputs. Its development has also produced an integrated knowledge base built through the analysis of millions of data points.
Those insights have helped establish a common government methodology for productivity measurement while supporting more efficient allocation of government resources, stronger decision-making and improvements in service quality.
Five-year rollout
Development of the system began in 2020 through a pilot involving a limited number of government entities before implementation was gradually expanded.
During the project stage, the Workforce Productivity Measurement Steering Committee was established under Resolution No. 7 of 2023. The committee contributed to developing the methodology and improving the readiness of government entities for implementation.
Following the decision to adopt the project as an integrated government-wide system, the committee concluded its work after completing its assigned responsibilities. Implementation has since expanded to 32 government entities.
The system’s development also involved building analytical tools and digital platforms supported by machine learning and advanced artificial intelligence.These capabilities allow entities to periodically track productivity indicators and assess how resources relate to outputs.
The resulting analysis is intended to make planning more efficient, improve institutional performance and provide government decision-makers with more precise insights.
Data guides decisions
Abdullah Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Director General of the Dubai Government Human Resources Department, said the government-wide adoption represents a strategic milestone in Dubai’s efforts to develop a data-driven government that uses advanced analytics to shape policies and improve performance.
He added that the system enables government entities to make decisions that are more accurate, proactive and capable of delivering greater impact.
Al Falasi said the system goes beyond measuring workforce productivity by establishing a unified methodology that can improve resource allocation, enhance service quality and support sustainable institutional performance.
He said the approach aligns with Dubai’s ambition to build a government that is more agile, efficient and prepared for future requirements.
The unified framework links resources, outputs and outcomes at a time when data and advanced analytics are playing an increasingly important role in government planning and decision-making. Dubai said this should improve decision accuracy, raise performance efficiency and support the optimal use of resources across government entities.
Measurement framework defined
The system’s formal adoption follows an Executive Council resolution issued in September 2025 that established how productivity measurement would be implemented across Dubai Government entities.
Under the first phase, productivity is measured using recognized standards that compare services delivered with factors including workforce size, total salaries, actual working hours and other relevant data. The results are then analyzed before initiatives are developed to improve efficiency and government services, with the final phase focused on evaluating the system.
The resolution assigned DGHR responsibility for managing and supervising the system, developing and validating workforce productivity indicators and preparing and updating its procedural guide. The department also coordinates with the General Secretariat of The Executive Council on government services and performance data.
DGHR works with the Department of Finance to verify budgets, review productivity findings and recommend measures to improve efficiency. It is also responsible for monitoring compliance, assessing impact and submitting reports to the General Secretariat.
Government roles coordinated
The General Secretariat of The Executive Council is responsible for identifying, classifying and updating government services while coordinating with entities including the Department of Finance, Digital Dubai and DGHR. Its responsibilities also include technical support and approving services, associated data and performance indicators.
Digital Dubai provides technical advice and support for developing and updating the productivity system’s digital platform, analytical tools and database integrations.
Government entities themselves must identify and classify their services, supply data covering services, employees and allocated budgets, and comply with the approved procedural guide and implementation timelines.
They are also required to pursue improvements in service quality, optimize the use of resources, implement productivity initiatives and respond to recommendations aimed at raising financial efficiency following productivity analysis.
The structure makes the initiative broader than a conventional employee-performance tool by linking workforce inputs, financial costs and public-service output within the same measurement framework.
AI strategy expands
The productivity system forms part of a wider push to make Dubai Government operations increasingly dependent on integrated data and artificial intelligence.
In April 2026, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum directed government entities to integrate individual and business services into a unified digital ecosystem within one year. The initiative seeks to reduce the number of platforms and simplify the time and effort required to access government services.
The same program includes a broader target to establish an AI-driven government model in which performance becomes 100 percent data-based. Infrastructure under development includes AI accelerators, standardized machine-learning models and secure environments allowing government entities to build and test AI applications.
Dubai said the data and AI initiatives aim to support more than AED10 billion in GDP growth within two years of operation and place the emirate among the world’s top 10 cities in the Government AI Readiness index.
They also target AI-supported data use in at least 80 percent of government policies and strategies.
Resource systems upgrade
Another related initiative is the second generation of Dubai’s Government Resource Planning Systems, being developed jointly by Digital Dubai, the Department of Finance and DGHR.
The project covers finance, human resources, payroll, procurement, contracts, asset and property management, and maintenance through a more unified operating environment. Dubai said the systems are designed to increase integration, productivity and efficiency while improving planning and decision-making.
Workforce capabilities are being developed alongside the technology. In April, Digital Dubai, DGHR and the Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence launched the AI Workforce Transformation Program, or AI+, targeting 50,000 Dubai Government employees.
The program provides specialized training according to job category, ranging from government leaders and Chief AI Officers to managers, product and service owners and employees. Training includes practical AI skills, task automation, AI agents and productivity tools.
Its stated objectives include increasing workforce productivity, strengthening institutional performance and accelerating adoption of AI in government services and internal processes.
Productivity agenda broadens
The unified measurement system also follows Dubai’s efforts to examine productivity through workplace models as well as technology.
DGHR expanded its “Our Flexible Summer” initiative across all Dubai Government entities in 2025 after a 2024 pilot across 21 entities. The department said pilot results showed improved productivity and work environments, while employee satisfaction and happiness reached as high as 98 percent.
The initiative returned in 2026 as DGHR continued testing more flexible, people-centered government work environments. The department has linked employee well-being and quality of life with productivity, innovation and sustainable institutional performance.
The wider technology strategy also establishes a direct economic productivity target. Dubai’s Universal Blueprint for Artificial Intelligence supports D33 objectives that include raising economic productivity by 50 percent through innovation and adoption of digital solutions.
Source: economymiddleeast