The ‘Top Industries in the MENA2021’ survey by Bayt.com, the Middle East's #1 job site, and global online market research agency YouGov, was conducted to help professionals understand current satisfaction levels within certain industries and make an informed decision about their future. The survey revealed that56% of the MENA residents are satisfied with their working hours, followed by work culture (46%) and work-life balance (45%).
Despite a challenging year, many industries in the MENA region have introduced new career opportunities for job seekers. Most job seekers in2021 are interested in working in Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (8%), Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations (6%) and Education/ Academia (5%).
Consistent with the above findings, Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (21%), Government/ Civil service (20%) and Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals (17%) are the three most attractive industries to work in when it comes to maintaining a work-life balance. Education / Academia and IT/ Internet/ e-commerce follow, both at13%.
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com says: “The job market is constantly evolving, and so are the needs of job seekers. In order to understand the factors influencing industry attractiveness, we conducted the ‘Top Industries in the MENA’ survey to determine how people identify, apply for and evaluate job opportunities across a range of industries. For recruiters, the data will help foster deeper engagement and higher application rates.”
Job security is another factor that is closely looked at by the region’s job seekers and working professionals. Survey respondents indicated that Military/ Defence/Police (28%), followed by Government / Civil service (24%) and Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals (23%) are the top3 industries when it comes to job security in the current economic scenario.
Military/ Defense/ Police (17%) is perceived to hire the highest proportion of fresh graduates, followed by Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (16%).
Moreover, Healthcare/ Medical Services (24%) and Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (22%) emerged as the most attractive industries to females. Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals (22%), followed by Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (20%) are the top two industries in terms of attracting the highest proportion of local talents. Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals (24%) is also considered to be the industry that offers the best career growth. This is followed by Banking/ Finance/ Accounting at19%.
On the other hand and when asked to look ahead, IT/ Internet/E-commerce (26%) is seen as the top industry that is expected to record the strongest growth next year.
Another major finding of the survey is that24% of MENA respondents have changed their industry at least once in the past two years. For those who have changed industries, better salaries (38%), lack of recognition (29%) and better opportunities for career growth (26%) are the top reasons for this change.
Nearly6 in10 professionals in the MENA region (58%) are considering an industry change in the next few months. Better salary (58%) is the top reason for considering an industry change, while better career growth follows at40%. Furthermore, Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals (11%) emerges as the most appealing industry amongst those who consider an industry change.
Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov MENA said: “Our latest survey has unearthed a whole host of invaluable insights into job seeker preferences and satisfaction levels with various industries, on attributes including salary and benefits, work-life balance, career growth, and job security. Industries across the region must ensure that they are responding to job seekers’ changing needs.”
Data for the Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa2021 survey was collected online from14 to29 June,2021. Results are based on a sample of2,333 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.