The most recent “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” Survey, compiled by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, and YouGov, research and consulting group, revealed that Banking and Finance is the most attractive industry in Bahrain in2017. The industry attracts one out of four (24%) Bahraini respondents, making it the most attractive industry for “local talent.”
Banking and Finance also emerged as the most attractive industry for women, according to36% of Bahraini respondents. This was followed by the Healthcare/ Medical Services sector (34%), and the Education/ Academia sector (30%).
In terms of the “best work-life balance,”25% of Bahraini respondents claim that the Banking and Finance sector is the top industry in this regard. This was followed by the Government/Civil Service industry at24%.
A third of respondents in Bahrain (33%) claimed that the Government/ Civil Service industry has the highest job security. Respondents also said that the Military/ Defense/ Police sector (28%) has high job security in Bahrain.
Most Stressful Industries
Despite being the most attractive industry, Banking and Finance also emerged as the most stressful industry for18% of Bahraini respondents. Military/ Defense/ Police (18%), Real Estate/ Construction (17%) were also perceived as stressful industries. On the other hand, Pharmaceuticals (3%), Agriculture/ Forestry (3%), Human Resources (3%) and Domestic Services (3%) were reportedly among the least stressful industries in Bahrain.
Healthcare/ Medical Services tops the list for the longest working hours, according to22% of Bahraini respondents, followed by Military/ Defense/ Police (18%) and the Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment industry (18%).
Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said: “It is eye-opening to find out which industries the region’s professionals favor working in, as it is easy to rely on false impressions. More and more professionals are becoming satisfied with their job attributes, be it training opportunities or compensation or work culture. Yet, many are on the lookout for new and better career opportunities. We encourage all job seekers to make use of our website and access more than12,000 jobs that are available on Bayt.com today.”
Current/ Most recent Industry Satisfaction
When looking at how satisfied Bahraini respondents are with their current/ most recent salary packages,45% of respondents claimed that they are satisfied with this aspect, inclusive of non-monetary benefits.
Almost two thirds (64%) of Bahraini respondents are satisfied with their working hours, and61% are satisfied with their work culture.56% are satisfied with their job security and50% are satisfied with their work-life balance.
In terms of training and development,55% of Bahraini respondents claim to be “completely satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the programs available to them and just over half claim to be satisfied with their career growth (51%).
Switching Industries
Another major finding of the survey is that26% of Bahraini respondents have changed industries in the last year and four in ten (40%) are considering an industry change in the next few months.56% of respondents are seeking better career growth while53% are seeking a better salary.
Masri adds: “We regularly advice the region’s employers to pay attention to the factors influencing employee attrition and work with us to strengthen their employer brand and their retention efforts. Our aim is to always enrich the region’s job market and empower its professionals by offering the most updated information, such as this survey, and the most powerful tools for job seekers and employers alike.”
“Respondents are evidently keen to find and maintain career opportunities that satisfy their professional and personal needs,” said Elissavet Vraka, Research Manager, YouGov. “This is why this survey is so insightful; it provides all professionals in the MENA region with more direction, as to which job attributes are valued the most and which fields of work are excelling in providing them.”
Data for the Bayt.com ‘Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey was conducted between February23 and March7,2017 with7,162 respondents from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.