The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is one of the most youthful regions in the world. As a result of this, young job seekers and recent graduates are rigorously competing for entry level jobs and attempting to secure an early-career position. In order to measure the success of their efforts, Bayt.com - the Middle East’s #1 Job Site - conducted a poll titled “Finding Your First Job in the Middle East and North Africa” in which more than six in10 respondents (62.1%) claimed that they can find “entry level jobs for their educational background.”
Further, half of the respondents from across the MENA region (49.9%) claim that entry level jobs are “widely available in the Middle East.”18% of respondents were neutral in response to this statement.
When it comes to the availability of jobs by sector, almost half of respondents claimed that “it is easier to obtain an entry level job in the Private Sector” (49.4%), followed by the Public Sector (18.2%), and Non-governmental Agencies (NGOs) (9.5%). However, over one in five respondents claimed that there is no difference between sectors when it comes to obtaining an entry level position (22.9%).
Online job sites emerged as the most popular method for finding entry level jobs in the MENA region.78.5% of job seekers use online job sites along with other channels to look for jobs and almost a quarter use online job sites exclusively (23.8%). Online job sites were followed by social media (9.3%), company websites (5.8%), newspapers (4.5%), and personal networks (1.9%). More respondents agree that online job sites are “effective for finding entry level jobs.”
What Are the Challenges?
For young job seekers and fresh graduates, the greatest challenge for getting their career started is the high competition.68% of polled job seekers agree that “competition is higher for entry level jobs.”
The second challenge is the lack of career support from universities and schools. Nearly three quarters of respondents (74.6%) claimed that they do not (or “did not” - if they’ve already graduated) receive career support from their university.
When it comes to salaries,30.6% of respondents agree that entry level jobs are “paid well in the Middle East” and19.6% were neutral. While nearly half (49.8%) of respondents disagree with that statement, it is also worth noting that only17.4% of job seekers value having a “high salary” the most in an entry level job.42.5% of respondents look for “opportunities for career growth,”21.9% look for “experience relevant to their education,” and18.2% look for “reputable company / positive work culture.”
“In today’s economic climate, it is important for both prospective employees and employers to be aware of the available solutions when it comes to obtaining and creating jobs,” said Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “Competition for jobs has never ceased to exist, which is why job seekers are continuously encouraged to enhance their CVs and online profiles as well as utilize the most advanced tools and technologies that Bayt.com offers. We are very proud to work with over27 million professionals and provide them with the necessary tools and support for their career search. Our aim is to empower young job seekers and graduates, whether by partnering with universities and educational institutions or directly with the job seeker, so that they can make use of the available career opportunities in their fields of interest.”
What Makes a Strong Job Candidate?
81.8% of respondents agree that internships make a stronger entry level job candidate. Moreover, nearly two thirds of respondents (65.5%) agree that cover letters are necessary when submitting an entry level job application.
Comparing the different elements of a candidate’s CV, some items may appear more important than others. When asked what makes an “excellent candidate” for an entry level job,33.8% of respondents cited “work experience,”27.2% cited “personal and soft skills” (i.e. communication, team work),26.4% cited “technical skills and certifications,” and12.6% cited “university degree and GPA.”
As for survey respondents who have already found jobs, almost half of them said that it took less than3 months to find their very first job (45.9%),15.6% said it took them3 –6 months,23.8% said it took them6 –12 months, and only14.7% said that it took them more than one year to find their first job.
Masri adds: ”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.”
Data for the2017 Bayt.com ‘Finding Your First Job in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll was collected online from March19th,2017 to April26th,2017. Results are based on a sample of7,571 respondents. Countries that participated are the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and others.