Bayt.com, the Middle East's #1 job site, has recently conducted the Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa2020 survey in partnership with YouGov, global online market research company, in order to help professionals understand current satisfaction levels within certain industries and make an informed decision about their future. The survey revealed that most job seekers in Lebanon are interested in working in Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (16%), Education/Academia (12%) and Engineering/ Design (12%).
Consistent with the above findings, Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (20%), Education/Academia (20%) and Government/ Civil Service (16%) are the three most attractive industries to work in when it comes to maintaining a work life balance, followed by IT/ Internet/ E-commerce at14%.
When it came to satisfaction with the current or most recent industries, respondents in Lebanon were most satisfied with the work culture (70%), followed by working hours (65%) and work-life balance (53%).
Furthermore, the industries with the most competitive packages are perceived to be Real Estate/ Construction/ Property Development (according to22%), followed by IT/ Internet/ E-commerce (21%). IT/ Internet/ E-commerce (23%) and Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (21%) are considered to be the top industries that offer the best career growth.
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com says: “Our latest survey confirms a significant increase in interest in certain industries – largely fueled by salary and benefits, work-life balance, career growth, and job security. Employers need to deliver on job seekers' continuously-evolving expectations to attract the best candidates. This starts with understanding job seeker preferences, which can be achieved through our research at Bayt.com.”
Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (26%), Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations (19%) and Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment (19%) are perceived to hire the highest proportion of fresh graduates among other industries.
Moreover, Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (35%), Education/ Academia (34%) and Media/ Journalism/ Publishing (25%) emerge as the industries which are the most attractive to females in Lebanon. Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (22%), IT/ Internet/ E-commerce (17%) and Engineering/ Design (16%) are the top three industries in terms of attracting the highest proportion of local talents.
On the other hand and when asked to look ahead, IT/ Internet/ E-commerce (36%) is seen as the top industry that is expected to record the strongest growth next year.
Another major finding of the survey is that12% of respondents in Lebanon have changed their industry at least once in the past two years. For those who have changed industries, flexible timings in new industry (27%), better salaries and better opportunities for career growth (both at18%) are the top reasons for this change.
Almost half of professionals in Lebanon (46%) are considering an industry change in the next few months. Better salary (49%) is the top reason for considering an industry change, while better career growth follows at47%. Furthermore, Business Consultancy/ Business Management (16%) emerges as the most appealing industry amongst those who consider an industry change.
Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov said: “In order to learn the best ways to attract and recruit professionals, you should first understand which industries they’re moving to, which they’re leaving from, and why. The2020 Bayt.com Top Industries in the MENA survey provides a deep dive into the factors influencing industry attractiveness. This helps recruiters to better attract professionals and optimizes their hiring efforts.”
Data for the Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa2020 survey was collected online from21 September2020 to8 October2020. Results are based on a sample of1,898 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.