Bayt.com reported that68% of organisations in the MENA region expect to recruit over the next12 months. The Middle East new Job Index survey, conducted by the region’s number one job site Bayt.com in conjunction with research specialists YouGov Siraj, revealed an overall28% of the region’s respondents said they would hire within the next3 months. In Lebanon33% said their organisations would “definitely” be hiring, and another35% said they would “probably” be hiring. Only4% said they would definitely not be hiring in the next quarter.
The Middle East Job Index Survey showed that the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are regarded as the most attractive job markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Qatar has the highest propensity to hire with41% saying that their organisations will definitely be recruiting new staff in the coming months.
Perhaps the biggest shift in the recruitment market is in Oman - in January2011’s Middle East Job Index Survey, the country was rated as one of the lowest in job propensity but now rates second as37% of respondents claim to be hiring in the next quarter. Saudi Arabia follows with35% saying that their organisations will definitely be recruiting new staff within the next three months. Just23% of employers in Egypt expect to recruit in the next quarter however the study indicates next year could hold greater promise, while Morocco showed the lowest propensity with just20% of respondents saying they will definitely hire in the next three months.
The Jobs Index (JI) is conducted to gauge perceptions of job availability and hiring, to identify job trends and to provide an understanding of the key skill sets and qualifications required in the Middle East job market.
“The Job Index survey presents job seekers and recruiters with in-depth, industry specific data on a quarterly basis. As we have recorded from January2011 to April2011 there have been several note worthy changes, Oman’s jump from one of the lowest in providing job opportunities last quarter to a healthy37% expectancy over the next few months is one of them”, noted Amer Zureikat, VP Sales, Bayt.com.
The survey asked the respondents how many positions their organisations will be aiming to fill in the next three months. For the most part, organisations are looking to recruit staff for less than five positions according to44% and a further24% indicated between6 to10 jobs. Compared to small or public organisations, the private sector comprised of large local businesses is more likely to hire as34% said they will in the next few months. Furthermore, the trend continues from the past wave as25% of employers in the Middle East favor graduates and postgraduates in business management to fill positions such as Junior Executives (35%) and Executives (28%). Graduates or postgraduates with commerce and administration qualifications are equally sought after by the region’s organisations, with24% and23% of respondents citing personnel in these fields as highly desirable.
“We’ve found that the demand for junior level candidates from the business and finance sector is the highest in Middle East job market. However this quarter, we also recorded some momentum in the senior-level recruitment that could signify job availability in the senior positions. This is definitely a figure we will be looking out for in the next quarter study”, said Sundip Chahal, Chief Operating Officer, YouGov Siraj.
According to the study, good communication skills in Arabic and English is favoured by employers -64% indicated as the most desirable trait in candidates.51% of region’s organisations agree that being cooperative, helpful, flexible and performing as a team player are key skills. Overall personality is also an important trait according to46%. In terms of experience,39% of employers expect candidates to have excellent managerial skills and the ability to manage a team. In addition,33% cited computer skills as important.
“Although recruiters rated good managerial and computer skills, as well as marketing and sales experience as some of the prerequisites for ideal candidates, only23% of organisations are looking for mid level experience. The findings demonstrate that the prospects for first entry job seekers is reassuringly bright”, commented Zureikat.
The JI is in part gauged by asking the respondents what their hiring expectancy is in a year’s time; this forms the Hiring Expectancy Index (HEI). Over the next12 months68% of the regions organisations expect to hire, an increase of2% over the last wave, suggesting positive growth in the future. Saudi Arabia showed the highest propensity to hire over the next12 months as per40% of votes.
In Lebanon,35% said they would “definitely” hire in the next12 months, while another39% said that they would “probably” be hiring. Only3% of organisations surveyed in Lebanon said they would not be hiring.
The study has found several optimistic numbers from the HEI, in comparison to last quarter; Oman for example with46% looking to hire within the next12 months – an indication of the growth within the entire region. Respondents were also asked which industries they feel are attracting or retaining top talent in their country of residence - banking and finance sector leads with39%. Other top3 sectors that are likely to attract or retain the top talent include telecommunications (37%), construction (31%) and tourism (27%) When asked to rate their current country of residence as a job market compared to other Middle East countries, residents of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were the most positive –47% in each of the three countries agreed that their country was much more attractive.15% of respondents in Lebanon said their country was much more attractive and just12% in Jordan.
Data for the Bayt.com Middle East Job Index- April2011 was collected online between30th March2011 to17th April2011, with4653 executive managers/HR managers/senior officials from the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Pakistan.