The billion-dollar blind spot: capitalising on women returning to the workforce

Organisations across the globe are grappling with talent shortages, rising hiring costs and the pressure to build resilient, future-ready workforces. Yet one of the most experienced and capable talent pools remains consistently overlooked: women returning to work after a career break.

In the UAE, career breaks are often due to life transitions such as relocation and motherhood – realities of a highly mobile, globally connected society rather than a lack of ambition, capability or purpose among women. While these returners are often perceived as a risk, the evidence shows they are an untapped resource.

A 2024 PwC Middle East report found that half of women in the MENA region – with more than two-thirds at more senior levels –  have taken a career break, and that harnessing the full potential of this talent pool could contribute a total of up to US$385 billion to GDP in nine MENA economies.

The report reinforces that women returning to work do not need to be “developed” from scratch, yet are frequently screened out because their CVs do not follow linear patterns. These women are educated, skilled and experienced, and when institutional knowledge, hiring and onboarding costs are factored in, it becomes clear that ignoring this pool of professionals is both unproductive and economically inefficient.

There is a real opportunity for change, starting with hiring behaviour through to workplace policies and culture.

Women face a number of barriers when navigating their return to work. At the search stage, repeated rejection, lack of feedback and the implicit message that a career break is a weakness can significantly impact confidence. On a practical level, many positions are still built around inflexible workflows and ‘always-on’ cultures that are fundamentally incompatible with the realities of caregiving.

Returners are often also screened out due to a lack of recent UAE or regional experience, creating a catch-22: local experience is required to be hired, yet hiring is required to gain local experience.

This is further complicated by the emergence of AI and digital tools, with women acutely aware of how ways of working have changed in recent years. The challenge is rarely an inability to learn, but limited access to opportunities to refresh skills or demonstrate capability in real workplace settings.

Rather than reflecting a lack of talent or ambition, these barriers point to systems and assumptions that do not match today’s realities.

Returnships – professional internships for experienced workers re-entering the workforce after significant career breaks – have played an important role in reopening doors. For many women, they provide exactly what is needed: a structured environment to refresh skills, rebuild confidence, gain recent experience and reconnect with professional networks.

These programmes are a win-win: according to PwC, returnships benefit employers by attracting motivated and mature talent with unique perspectives, complemented by 83 per cent of women who report that these programmes influence their decision to re-enter the workforce.

However, many such initiatives are designed as short-term placements or entry-level roles, often with modest compensation and no guaranteed long-term progression. For women returning to work later in life, this model is not always economically viable, given that costs of living and childcare often exceed returnship remuneration.

This underscores the need for multiple re-entry options that reflect the diversity of women’s circumstances and experience levels as the return-to-work conversation matures and evolves –recognising seniority, enabling direct hiring opportunities and maximising stability.

Beyond programmes, there is the fundamental issue of a mindset that prioritises continuity over capability, where uninterrupted careers are rewarded and career breaks are viewed with caution. In practice, women re-joining the workforce bring a combination of valuable experience and transferable skills.

Navigating complexity, uncertainty and change outside a professional hierarchy has strengthened their judgement, adaptability, stakeholder management and problem-solving capabilities. As a consequence, these women often challenge established assumptions and offer perspectives shaped by lived experience – meaningful qualities in workplaces seeking innovation and resilience.

The next phase of progress must reframe how career breaks are understood and valued, with recruitment processes assessing capability rather than chronology, and workplace policies reflecting the realities of modern life.

At Expo City Dubai, we believe that empowering women in their professional journeys is more than social equity – it is a competitive advantage. As the new centre of Dubai’s future and a key contributor to the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), we are committed to maximising our social, environmental and economic impact through innovation and collaboration.

Reflecting this commitment and driving efforts around diversity, inclusion and opportunity, the Women’s Pavilion two-phase Return to Work programme at Expo City enables women to overcome re-entry challenges and bring their experience back into the economy. The programme includes targeted upskilling in digital fluency, interview preparation, networking and more – and is one of several programmes to champion women and girls, at all stages of life.

As Expo City continues to evolve, we know that we are a single thread in a much larger, ever-changing tapestry. We are proud to help drive a more resilient, innovative and balanced society and economy – powered by the full breadth of its talent – and welcome collaboration with others who share our mission.