The Bayt.com ‘Middle East Workplace Dynamics’ poll conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, has revealed that a fifth of professionals in the Middle East and North Africa do not believe that their education adequately prepared them for success in the workplace. This is seen as a major impediment to career growth, as education and professional training are necessary to thrive in an increasingly competitive global arena. Other major impediments are seen to be bad managers (13.7%) and the bad economy (14.9%). Nine out of every10 respondents (87.7%) state that they have friends and family in the MENA region who have been affected by unemployment. However,62.7% believe that the job market in their country of residence is picking up, among which30.3% state that it is doing so ‘very quickly’.
“In total,21.2% of respondents state that lack of education preparation is the biggest roadblock for career growth,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “Professionals should start seriously looking at other methods of gaining knowledge to stay relevant, whether through further education, online resources, or training and workshops. In fact, our poll shows that professionals are searching for opportunities where they can learn and grow, so training programs in companies can help attract top-quality candidates. At Bayt.com, our mission is to empower people with the tools and information they need to lead their lifestyle of choice, so we are constantly creating innovative new solutions to make it easier for professionals from all industries and experiences to succeed in their careers.”
The industries that are seen to attract the most talent are oil, gas and petrochemicals (30.2%), followed by information technology (IT) and telecommunications (24.1%). Respondents have a preference for full-time employment in a company (78.1%), with only7.9% claiming to prefer entrepreneurship and7.5% preferring part-time employment in a company. A further6.5% prefer freelancing.
According to the respondents, the main reasons they left their previous job was bad pay (19.8%), finding a better role (18.1%), and no clear advancement path in the organization (17.5%). In their next job, the majority of professionals (20.3%) are looking for companies that will help them develop their skills and provide learning opportunities and training programs. A good work environment (18.8%) and better pay (16%) follow as important factors as well. Ideally, respondents would like to stay in a job for ‘as long as possible’ (44.2%), though a fifth (19.5%) claim to like to stay3-to-5 years before moving on. Eight out of every10 respondents (81.6%) have an online CV and professional public profile, and96.6% are always open to new career opportunities. The majority (54.2%) apply for jobs regularly, though45.8% prefer to take a more passive approach to their job search and wait for employers to find them based on their online CV.
“It is very telling that in today’s connected world professionals are increasingly choosing to park their online CVs on a leading jobsite such as Bayt.com at all times whether or not they are immediately looking for a job and whether or not they are actively applying to jobs at present. At Bayt.com we have especially seen this with the fast growth of our Bayt.com People platform which is the ideal vehicle for professionals at all career levels and from all walks of life who desire to be seen by their peer community and interact with peers in other companies and countries and industries while at the same time keeping their options open for a career change and ensuring the best opportunities do not pass them by. Professionals today are very cognizant of the huge opportunity costs of not having a searchable online CV on a leading regional jobsite and an activated public profile” continued Suhail Masri.
In terms of what professionals want most in a manager, respondents believe that the best managers are the ones who are good at mentoring and coaching (with12.3% of respondents stating so), are leaders by action (11.3%), are true visionaries (10%), are regular performance appraisers (8.4%), are team players (5.4%), are democratic consensus builders (4.2%), and are strong, assertive commanders (3.6%). Meanwhile,42.9% of respondents believe that a great manager should have all the above qualities. Respondents are put off by managers who have a lack of vision (29.7%), who have a command and control style (20%), and who have poor mentorship and coaching skills (11.2%). On the other side of the spectrum, professionals in the MENA believe that employers today are looking for candidates with great technical skills (27.3%), who are team players (16.2%), and who have strong character and integrity (15%).
Data for the Bayt.com “Middle East Workplace Dynamics” poll was collected online from May28 to June202013, with9,845 respondents covering12 countries in the MENA region.