Respondents in Jordan are feeling worse off than last year, according to the latest figures of the Middle East’s number one job site Bayt.com in conjunction with research specialists YouGov Siraj. The study found that in Jordan,42% of respondents said their financial position is worse than last year, as opposed to19% who said it is better.
Overall,35% of the region’s respondents say their financial position is the same as last year and a quarter,25%, say it has gotten better. Among the countries surveyed,38% and34% of respondents in Oman and KSA say they are doing better than last year.
On the whole, respondents are expecting to be in a better financial position next year. Overall,48% of respondents believe that their personal financial position will be better next year. By contrast, just6% of the region’s respondents believe that their financial position will become worse. In Jordan,42% of respondents believe that their personal finances will be better a year from now, compared to just10% that believe they will become worse.
Respondents also remain largely optimistic that their country’s economy will be better in a year’s time. Overall,51% say that their country’s economy will be better,17% say it will remain the same, and12% say it will become worse. Respondents in Oman are the most positive about the expected improvements in their country’s economy, with67% stating things will be better. Respondents in Lebanon are most pessimistic about their country’s economy a year from now;32% say that it will become worse. In Jordan, only30% of respondents believe that their country’s economy will be better in a year’s time, compared to25% that believe it will be worse.
Asked whether they would invest in property, the respondents largely agree that they will not. The trend continues from the previous quarter with a majority of respondents (62%) stating they are not interested in making any investment in property. Within Jordan,74% say they will not be buying any property. Of those wishing to purchase a property in Jordan,54% say they are likely to opt for a new property.
When asked whether they believe more jobs will be available in a year’s time, respondents are roughly divided:38% say more will be available,24% say the job situation will remain the same and19% say the availability of jobs will be worse. In Jordan,23% believe the availability of jobs will get better while31% of respondents believe the availability of jobs will become worse.
In terms of salaries and whether they have kept pace with the cost of living, as in the previous wave, the majority feel that they have not kept pace with the cost of living, with59% agreeing that there is a disparity, while just16% agree they have increased in line with the cost of living, and5% say they have increased more than the cost of living.
Data for this Bayt.com HR survey was collected online between14 March and3 April2011 with8,079 respondents from the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Pakistan. Males and females aged over18 years old, of all nationalities, were included in the survey.