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,46% of respondents said their financial position is worse than last year, as opposed to just17% who said it was better.
Overall,34% of the region’s respondents say their financial position is the same as last year and just over a quarter,28%, say it has gotten better. Among the countries surveyed,31% of respondents in Qatar and KSA say they are doing better than last year, followed by30% in Oman,28% in Kuwait and21% in Bahrain. However in Jordan, only17% felt their financial position is better than last year.
On the whole, respondents are expecting to be in a better financial position next year. Overall,49% of respondents believe that their personal financial position will be better next year. By contrast, just8% of the region’s respondents believe that their financial position will become worse. In Jordan,44% of respondents believe that their personal finances will be better a year from now, compared to just11% that believe they will become worse. Most optimistic that their personal financial position will be better in a year’s time are respondents in Oman with58% confirming this statement.
Respondents also remain largely optimistic that their country’s economy will be better in a year’s time. Overall,35% say that their country’s economy will be better,20% say it will remain the same, and26% say it will become worse. Respondents in Oman are the most positive about the expected improvements in their country’s economy, with59% stating things will be better. Respondents in Egypt are most pessimistic about their country’s economy a year from now;37% say that it will become worse. In Jordan, only27% of respondents believe that their country’s economy will be better in a year’s time, compared to36% 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 (64%) stating they are not interested in making any investment in property. Within Jordan,77% say they will not be buying any property. Of those wishing to purchase a property,59% 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:26% say more will be available,27% say the job situation will remain the same and30% say the availability of jobs will be worse. In Jordan,19% believe the availability of jobs will get better while37% 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, with63% agreeing that there is a disparity, while just19% agree they have increased inline with the cost of living, and5% say they have increased more than the cost of living.
Data for the December2010 Consumer Confidence Index Survey was collected online between15 November and16 December2010 with10,468 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.