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 UAE job seekers are interested in working in Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment (16%), Education/ Academia (13%) and Engineering/ Design (10%).
Furthermore, Government/ Civil Service (30%), Banking/ Finance/ Accounting (22%) and Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (17%) are the three most attractive industries to work in when it comes to maintaining a work life balance, followed by Education/ Academia at12%.
When it came to satisfaction with the current or most recent industries, UAE respondents were most satisfied with the working hours (61%), followed by work culture (55%) and work-life balance (49%).
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 (21%) and Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment (18%) are perceived to hire the highest proportion of fresh graduates among other industries.
Moreover, Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment (28%), Healthcare/ Medical Services (24%) and Human Resources (24%) emerge as the industries which are the most attractive to females in the UAE. Government/ Civil service (28%), followed by Military/ Defence/ Police (27%) and Oil/ Gas/ Petrochemicals (20%) 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 (25%) and Healthcare/ Medical services (25%) are seen as the top industries that are expected to record the strongest growth next year.
Another major finding of the survey is that19% of UAE respondents have changed their industry at least once in the past two years. For those who have changed industries, better salaries (34%) and better opportunities for career growth (24%) are the top reasons for this change.
More than half of professionals in the UAE (58%) are considering an industry change in the next few months. Better salary and better career growth (both at46%) are the top reasons for considering an industry change. Furthermore, Government/ Civil service (14%) 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.