The Bayt.com ‘Working for Non-profit Organizations in the MENA” poll, recently conducted by Bayt.com, the region’s number one job site, has revealed that despite the majority of Middle East and Africa (MENA) respondents believing that non-profit organisations offer less pay and demand more personal sacrifices,47.5% of them would ‘love’ to work in the sector. For three quarters of the region’s population though, job opportunities with non-profits are hard to find.
According to52.3% of respondents, working with a non-profit organisation means sacrificing more of your health and family time than would be required in other careers. Salaries are also considered to be less attractive than in other sectors, as stated by eight out of10 (77.9%) respondents, while75.2% also believe that job security is lower in the sector, too. People working for non-profit organisations are considered by60.5% of residents to have fewer opportunities for career growth, while having to endure less benefits and perks on the job (according to79.3%). More than half (52.8%) of the polled professionals considered employees of non-profit organisations to be as competitive, or even more competitive than their peers in other sectors. All these factors may to large extent explain why86% of poll respondents believe that turnover is higher in non-profits than anywhere else.
However, despite the aforementioned concerns associated with working for a non-profit organisation, the majority of MENA respondents maintain they would be keen to work for one. Half (47.5%) would ‘love’ to work at a non-profit, while41.9% would consider it. Only5.4% said they would ‘never’ work for a non-profit. For those that would consider working in a non-profit organisation,88.2% expect to be paid – and51% maintain they would even expect to receive top market salary for their work.
When it comes to general perceptions visavis professionals employed in the sector, employees of non-profit organisations are perceived to be more ‘mission-driven’ by91.6% of respondents, while eight out of10 (83.3%) consider them to have more pride in their employers.78.2% even feel that non-profit employees tend to feel more excited about their job.
Opportunities in the sector seem limited however in many parts of the region. For four in10 respondents (42.8%), there are few opportunities to find employment with a non-profit organisation in their country of residence. A third of the respondents to the poll (31.2%) maintain there are no opportunities in their country of residence, while26% claim that in their country, there are many.
“Our mission is to empower all professionals in the MENA, regardless of their industry, sector, or type of work, and this includes non-profit organizations,” said Suhail Masri. VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “At Bayt.com, not only do we provide a wealth of jobs and recruitment solutions to connect between people looking for jobs and business owners, we also empower our members with access to live data regarding the employment and economic pulse of the region.” Data for the Bayt.com ‘Non-profit Careers in the MENA’poll was collected online from March4-April142014, with7,692 respondents from the MENA region and beyond.