According to a recent ‘Career Development in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll conducted by Bayt.com, the region’s number one job site, a lack of career development prospects can radically make or break employee engagement.
On one hand, career development is of utmost importance to professionals in the MENA – even if it means rebooting their whole lives or taking their careers in a totally different direction. In Lebanon,94% of respondents say that career development is “very important”. In parallel,63% are prepared to move to another country to develop their career while another52% are willing to change sectors completely.
On the other hand, the results also show that in the eyes of MENA employees, companies’ HR departments are not doing enough to provide them with the career development opportunities – including promotions, adequate appraisal performance systems, role enhancements, mentoring programs and advanced training seminars – that they need to ensure professional growth.
All in all, the analysis reveals that these gaps and inefficiencies are the reasons why certain employers are struggling to retain top talent.
The study found that, while a total of53% of Lebanon job holders want to attain higher-level positions, over one third (36%) have never had a promotion in their current company. An impressive64%, however, have. Another major takeaway from the survey is that29% strongly think that there is equal opportunity for advancement at their company; likewise,28% strongly claim that job promotions are awarded fairly and without bias.
In addition,46% of working professionals in Lebanon are satisfied with their current career development; another50% admit that they are satisfied with the quality of orientation and training that they have received thus far. Also,68% of those surveyed (in Lebanon) believe that their organization boasts the capabilities to cross-train their employees and teach them new skills. Perhaps more noteworthy is that61% affirm that their organization’s training and development opportunities are explicitly linked to the company’s overall strategic direction.
Interestingly,32% of Lebanon respondents state that their company is more attractive than other companies in terms of career development. An overwhelming portion (86%) also say that would leave their company for better training opportunities.
In Lebanon,49% of job holders are satisfied with their professional learning and growth opportunities. Furthermore, nine out of ten respondents (91%) are always trying to identify learning opportunities inside and outside of their company, and more than half (72%) of those surveyed in Lebanon feel encouraged to take initiative in determining their own career development.
In the MENA,43% of current employees claim that they are overqualified for their role, while another55% state that their role is a good match to their abilities. Only3% believe that they are underqualified for their role. In Lebanon, employees have mixed feelings and perspectives when it comes to their responsibilities in proportion to their abilities. A total of49% of job holders in Lebanon claim that they are overqualified for their role, while another47% state that their role is a good match to their abilities. Only4% believe that they are underqualified for their role.
In Lebanon,49% of job holders are satisfied with their professional learning and growth opportunities. Furthermore, nine out of ten respondents (91%) are always trying to identify learning opportunities inside and outside of their company, and more than half (72%) of those surveyed in Lebanon feel encouraged to take initiative in determining their own career development.
In terms of knowing what their company needs and requires from its employees,26% of working professionals in Lebanon admit to having a good idea..
“Today, employees in Lebanon are – understandably – eager to craft solid career trajectories and advance their professional development,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “Unfortunately, however, as evidenced by the survey results, many of them feel that their company is failing when it comes to equipping them with the well-rounded tools, blended learning approach, and tailored training needed to ensure their career growth and progression. And this leaves employees feeling stifled in their jobs – which in turn affects their loyalty, morale, and performance.”
Masri also added, “At Bayt.com, as part of our steadfast commitment to building a strong, diversified workforce here in the region and meeting the talent demands of the future, we have, over the years, worked hand-in-hand with HR departments to help them devise an effective talent development strategy. Ultimately, our aim is to do our part to help HR departments spearhead employee retention efforts. How? By making sure that they are laying out multi-phased growth and career development paths for employees – so workers can expand their expertise in key areas, fine-tune their skills, and chalk out a clear, well-structured career track for themselves. Companies and professionals across the various industry and career spectrums work with Bayt.com’s career development products like Tests and Courses. They also partake in specialist discussions online on Bayt.com Specialties, greatly expanding their knowledge and the knowledge of others by sharing what they know.”
“Only about3 in10 current employees strongly believe that there is equal opportunity for advancement at the company,” said Elissavet Vraka, YouGov. “Companies in the Middle East can stand to benefit from creating transparent systems where employees feel confident about their career development.”
Data for the Bayt.com ‘Career Development in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll was collected online in October2015, with3,359 respondents covering13 countries in the MENA region.”