The Career Aspirations in the MENA survey uncovers aspects that revolve around career and personal aspirations, challenges to career growth, and general concerns about the future. It also tackles general perceptions and attitudes professionals in the MENA region have towards jobs and overall work environment.
What Drives the ‘Ideal Job’
The majority of respondents (81%) in Jordan agree that salary and benefits are one of the most important factors in an ideal job, along with opportunities for career growth (38%) and job security (36%).
The reported reasons for seeking employment in the country are marked by the desire to consistently learn and gain experience as indicated by61% of respondents. This was followed by the goals to make money (57%) and to be financially independent (52%).
Interestingly, professionals are much more likely to prefer being an employee (46%) than owning a business (23%).
Career Ambitions
Respondents provided insights into the vision they have for the future. Many consider themselves deserving of being in a higher position (74%), and more than half (51%) are willing to move to another area of expertise to further their careers. Furthermore, two-fifths (40%) are willing to move to a different industry altogether to achieve their goals.
Discovering how ambitious professionals are across the region was one of the survey's main objectives. In Jordan,54% of professionals say they have set professional goals for themselves, which include finding a new job (55%), learning new skills (49%), and earning a higher salary (45%).
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: "MENA professionals often face varying challenges in their respective careers. However, their ambitions and attitudes are similar in various areas. Our Career Aspirations in the MENA survey highlights that many professional across the region either want to progress in their current roles or believe they should be working in a higher-level position."
Motivation Levels at Work
When it came to motivation levels in the workplace, more than half of respondents (58%) in Jordan reported feeling motivated at work. Only21% reported not being motivated at work, while the remainder were neutral in response to this topic.
The prevalence of mentors and role models also featured in the findings, with over two-fifths reporting that they have either a mentor or role model in their careers (42%).
When asked what could boost their motivation in the workplace, almost three-quarters (71%) reported higher salaries, followed by opportunities to express creativity (49%) and promotion to the next level (47%).
Personal Ambitions
The top personal goal for2021 was reported to be saving more money, according to69% of respondents in Jordan. Other prominent goals included more travel (49%), buying property (38%), exercising more (29%), and meeting new people (25%).
Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov said: “The Career Aspirations study aims to better understand the challenges and aspirations of MENA professionals. It covers aspects such as perceptions and attitudes towards current job, career aspirations, barriers to career growth, overall work environment and personal aspirations and concerns.”
Data for the Bayt.com’s Career Aspirations in the MENA survey was collected online from11 October to4 November2020. Results are based on a sample of1790 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.