Released bi-annually, the survey is an in-depth study that aims to measure the job availability and hiring trends. The study also identifies trends in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) job market and provides an understanding of required skill sets and qualifications in the region.
Hiring trends in the MENA
The outlook looks positive for job seekers across the MENA region, as intention to hire in a year’s time is high in GCC (68%), Levant (61%) and North Africa (60%).
Notably, multinational companies (70%) show the highest intention of hiring by sector in the next year. In regards to hiring potential by industry, Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations (83%), Consumer Goods/ FMCG (77%) and Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment (71%) demonstrated the highest intention of hiring in the next one year.
Job seekers will be pleased to know that hiring intention across many sectors is positive in the short term as well, with top industries being Consumer Goods/ FMCG (63%), IT/ Internet/ E-commerce (63%) and Education/ Academia (56%) who are looking to hire new employees in the next three months.
A substantial number of respondents (58%) claim that their company has hired new employees in the last six months, with41% having hired new employees in the last three months.
“The MENA region continues to evolve and transform offering numerous job opportunities for various industries and career levels. We are proud to make tens of thousands of jobs available daily on our website and to connect companies with top talents across the region,” said Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com. “The Job Index gives us the opportunity to track, follow and communicate hiring trends and required skillsets, twice a year, so that job seekers can plan and develop their skills accordingly.”
Job roles and requirements
The majority of MENA companies will be hiring junior and mid-career positions, with maximum requirement emerging for junior executive (39%), followed by executive (26%) and senior executive (21%).
Accountant (16%), Sales Executive (14%) and Sales Manager (13%) are the top roles the most looked out for across various regions. The Gulf region is looking to hire more Accountants (17%) and Sales Executive (17%), while Levant is looking to hire more Electrical Engineers (15%) and Accountants (15%); and North Africa is looking to hire more Teachers/ Educators (21%). Nearly one-third of survey respondents state that they are looking for candidates with managerial skills, while29% want candidates with mid-level experience and27% are searching for those with sales and marketing skills.
When it comes to skill sets, good communication skills in both the English and Arabic languages are highly sought after (63%), followed by being a team player (47%), having the ability to work under pressure (41%), and good leadership (41%).
Engineering (26%), Business Management (24%) and Commerce (20%) are the most sought-after academic qualifications amongst employers in the MENA region, followed by computer science qualifications (15%).
Industries attracting top talent
Banking/ Finance (28%) emerges as the industry that attracts or retains top talent across the MENA region, followed by Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals (26%) and Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations (26%).
Banking/ Finance (29%), as well as Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals (26%) emerge as the main industries attracting national talent, while fresh graduates are most attracted to Banking/ Finance (32%) and Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations (25%).
When it comes to female talent, Banking/ Finance (35%) and Advertising, Marketing & Public Relations (35%) emerge as top sectors, followed by and Healthcare/ Medical Services (28%).
“The Middle East Job Index survey is a key indicator of the MENA region’s hiring activities. A higher probability for hiring in private sector multinational companies can be observed, with most companies looking for good communication skills in Arabic and English as the top skill for potential candidates. In addition to providing an overview of current market trends, the findings will have practical significance for employers and HR,” said Zafar Shah, Research Director, Data Services at YouGov.
Data for the Middle East Job Index Survey was collected online from14th December2019 and28th January2020. Results are based on a sample of1,097 respondents,879 of whom were of working status, from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and Pakistan.