The latest Bayt.com Middle East and North Africa Job Index Survey, conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, and YouGov, a research and consulting organisation, shows the UAE job market is expected to open up considerably in the next3 months, with seven out of10 companies expecting to create up to10 new positions. Most of these will be with large or multinational private companies, presenting exciting opportunities for new graduates and first-time employees in particular.
Hiring Expectations
In the next3 months,59% of companies across the GCC, North Africa and Levant expect to hire new candidates, with the highest expectancy in the GCC countries. Most of those hires will be made by private sector companies. In the UAE,61% of companies claim they will either probably or definitely hire in the coming3 months. In the next12 months,68% of companies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region anticipate that they will hire; the same is true for67% of UAE-based companies.
For the most part,69% of companies who are looking to hire will create up to10 job openings in the next3 months. This is echoed by companies in the UAE, of whom65% will hire up to10 more people in the same time frame. The majority of these jobs in the UAE will be for junior executives (39%), followed by executives (30%) and coordinators (29%). A large number of UAE companies are looking for receptionists (16%), accountants (14%), HR professionals (13%), secretaries (13%), customer service representatives (13%), sales managers (13%) and executive assistants (13%).
Candidate Qualifications and Skills
The most desirable qualification to have in the MENA region at present is one in Business Management, according to23% of survey respondents. Commerce (22%), administration (21%), computer science (21%) and engineering (20%) are also popular. UAE employers are especially keen on candidates with commerce qualifications (24%).
Good communication skills in Arabic and English are a must for56% of MENA employers. They are also a highly desirable qualification in the UAE, second only to the ability to be a team player who is cooperative, helpful and flexible. Good leadership skills are also of top appeal to47% of UAE employers.
In terms of experience, UAE employers are looking for candidates with a background in managerial (30%), sales and marketing (30%), and administrative (27%) work.
Recent Hires and Job Attractiveness
Six out of10 companies across the region claim to have made new hires in the last6 months, with43% having taken on new employees in the last3 months. Two thirds of employers in the UAE (66%) have hired new candidates in the last six months, with47% having done so in the last3 months.
Across the MENA region,41% of jobseekers consider their country to be more attractive, career-wise, than other countries. This is especially true in the GCC, where six in10 would prefer to stay in their own country rather than move elsewhere, while in North Africa and the Levant, the majority would prefer to look beyond their own country to find employment.
UAE residents are particularly keen on the local job prospects, with71% stating that the nation is more attractive than other countries.
When it comes to industries, the majority across the region (44%) believe that their current industry is preferable to other industries. Just more than half (53%) in the UAE believe that their current industry is more attractive than any other. In terms of attracting and retaining top talent in the UAE, the construction industry is considered by41% of surveyed professionals to be the most popular. Tourism and hospitality (38%) and banking and finance (37%) are also perceived as extremely popular with UAE top talent.
Suhail Al-Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com said: “There is a positive trend in the upcoming months in which a number of companies across the region will open up a number of job opportunities. This is particularly seen in the Gulf region. Hiring trends will be mostly toward the younger generation who are looking for entry-level positions. At Bayt.com, we are committed to providing employers with top talent at every end of the career spectrum from entry level fresh graduates to middle management and senior executive professionals across the entire industry spectrum and particularly in fields that are hot growth fields across the region.”
Suhail Shaikh, Research Director, YouGov said: “The GCC countries seem to have the most positive hiring schemes for the next three and12 months compared to North Africa and the Levant, where the intention to hire is less positive and respondents are keener to move elsewhere for work.”
Data for the Bayt.com MENA Job Index Survey, February2014, was collected online from December152013-February92014. Results are reported on a base of3,137 respondents, of which2,729 were of working status. Countries that participated are the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.