Young job seekers and recent graduates continue to enter the job market in the Middle East and North Africa, competing for entry level jobs very actively. Bayt.com - the Middle East’s #1 Job Site – and YouGov – global online market research company – recently conducted a survey titled “Fresh Graduates in the MENA”, in which almost three quarters of respondents in Jordan (74%) claimed that they found or plan to find their first job through leading online job sites. Further, just over one third (34%) of respondents in Jordan claim that they found their first job in less than six months.
Most Attractive Industries
When it came to which industries respondents see hiring the highest number of fresh graduates in Jordan, over a quarter of respondents said that Advertising / Marketing (26%) is the top industry. This was followed by Banking / Finance (24%), and Military/ Defence / Police (22%).
When asked why respondents think these industries employ more fresh graduates compared to others in Jordan, almost half (54%) said that these industries believe fresh graduates have “lower expectation on salary”. This was followed by respondents believing that fresh graduates can” be compliant and willing to follow instructions” (36%) and “handle more challenges” (20%).
Salaries, Benefits, and Job Attributes
When selecting a job in Jordan, being passionate about the job itself emerged as the most important factor, according to44% of respondents.
Salary expectations are varied in Jordan, with48% of respondents saying that they received or would expect to receive a salary of up to USD500 in their first job. Another32% of respondents said that they received or would expect to receive a salary that is between USD501 and1,000 in their first job. Only7% expect to receive a salary that is higher than USD1,000.13% were unsure about their salary expectations.
In addition to a basic salary, other benefits that respondents expect include personal medical insurance (44%), allowance for training / development (37%) and transportation allowance (32%).
Choosing a Field of Study
More than one in four respondents in Jordan (26%) have studied Engineering. Accounting / Finance (23%), Business / Commerce / Economics (12%), and Information Technology /Computer Science (9%) were also among the most popular subjects.
Seven in10 fresh graduates (70%) in Jordan said that they considered the availability of jobs in their potential field before deciding their major.30% said they did not consider job availability prior to their decision.
Respondents were asked if they believe they would have fared better in the job market with a different major or a different school. While56% said no, over one in four (25%) said that they would have fared better with a different major and10% said that they would have fared better with a different major and a different school.
When it came to whether there was a link between the field respondents studied and where they are employed, surprisingly,44% of fresh graduates who are employed said that they were not employed in their field of study.
The Role of Higher Education
The majority (79%) of fresh graduates in Jordan said that they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the quality of higher education they had received. Only13% said that they were somewhat or very dissatisfied and the rest of respondents (8%) were neutral.
When it came to the role of higher education in preparing students for their industry of choice,18% of respondents in Jordan said their university helped “completely”,17% said it helped to “a large extent”, and40% said it helped “but only to some extent”.20% said their university didn’t help them in this aspect, while the rest of the respondents (6%) didn’t give their opinion.
Only28% of fresh graduates in Jordan claimed that they received help from their Institute to find job opportunities during their time as college students, while72% said they didn’t receive any support.
For those who did receive help, the most common ways were open days / campus recruitment (36%), job announcements (33%), and help with CV and Cover Letter writing (31%).
Challenges Faced by Fresh Graduates
When asked what challenges fresh graduates face most in Jordan, ‘finding a job’ emerged as the top challenge (90%), this was followed by ‘saving money’ (44%) and ‘being able to financially afford a basic lifestyle’ (38%).
When respondents were searching for a job the greatest challenges they faced included the fact that ‘employers were looking for candidates with previous work experience’ (63%), this was followed by the challenge of ‘knowing how to approach the job search effectively’ (36%) and knowing ‘where to find relevant jobs’ (36%).
Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com, said:”Fresh graduates seeking to secure their first job should take advantage of the numerous entry-level jobs, internships, as well as information about the job market that Bayt.com regularly provides. Today, and on any given day, over10,000 jobs are available on our job site, nearly5,000 of which are suitable for young job seekers and fresh graduates. For more than17 years, we have been successfully designing solutions at Bayt.com to help employers find the most suitable young talent and help job seekers highlight their skills and gain more knowledge on how to approach the job search effectively.”
Respondents also said that industries are hesitant in hiring fresh graduates because they may lack the needed experience (70%) as well as skills (35%).
Respondents commented on what skills they believe are required to excel in the workplace, with more than six in10 respondents (61%) saying computer skills. This was followed by academic and technical skills (41%), and linguistic skills (37%).
Yet despite these challenges for fresh graduates In Jordan, most of them are reportedly highly skilled. Almost all respondents (96%) rated themselves as “good” or “very good” when it comes to communication skills.94% rated themselves as “good” or “very good” on computer skills and88% rated themselves as “good” or “very good” on analytical / problem solving skills.
“Although fresh graduates are reportedly highly content with the quality of education they received, it seems that their institutions fell a bit short on preparing them for the job search, “ said Anjali Chhabra, Senior Research Manager, YouGov. “The survey shows that fresh graduates are finding a lot of value in searching for a job online as they look for opportunities in a competitive and crowded job market.”
Looking at the future, half (50%) of respondents in Jordan said they will keep looking until they find a job.26% said that they will start looking for a job in another industry / job role of their choice.11% will start looking for a job no matter what industry / job role it is.
Data for the2017 Bayt.com ‘Fresh Graduates in the MENA Survey’ was collected online from June21st to July12th,2017. Results are based on a sample of1,865 respondents. Countries that participated are the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and others.