Every summer, hundreds of thousands of young job seekers and recent graduates enter the job market in the Middle East and North Africa, competing for entry level jobs very actively. This year is no different. In fact, competition for jobs is reaching new levels, with every posting on Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 Job Site, receiving upwards of 1,000 - 2,000 applications.
Fresh graduates are an essential and extensive part of the MENA labour force and of course ‘finding a job’ is the top challenge for the majority (77%) of them. Other challenges they face include ‘saving money’ (38%) and ‘discovering what [they] want to do in life’ (35%).
But in today’s highly crowded environment and job market, what is working for fresh graduates and what is not? How are they approaching the job search to gain a competitive edge?
Most Attractive Industries
Indeed, not all jobs and all industries are created equal. Job seekers, whether juniors or seniors, have preferences when it comes to their desired industries and job roles.
Over a quarter (26%) of fresh graduates in the MENA region said that the most appealing industry for a career is Baking / Finance. This was closely followed by Engineering / Design (22%) and Business / Consultancy (20%).
When it came to which industries respondents see hiring the highest number of fresh graduates in the MENA, almost a quarter of them said Advertising / Marketing (23%), one in five said Banking / Finance, and 18% said Military/ Defence/ Police.
Salary expectations vary, with 30% of fresh graduates saying that they received or would expect to receive a salary of up to USD 500 in their first job. Another 22% said that they received or would expect to receive a salary between USD 501 and 1,000 in their first job. 21% of respondents received or would expect to receive a salary between USD 1,001 and 2,000. Only 9% said that they would expect a salary of over USD 2,000 for their first job, while 17% said they don’t know or are not sure about their salary expectations.
In addition to a basic salary, other benefits that fresh graduates expect the most include personal medical insurance (45%), training / development allowance (36%), as well as housing allowance / company provided accommodation (33%).
Above all of that, when selecting a job in the MENA region, being passionate about the job itself emerges as the most important factor when selecting a job, according to 44% of respondents.
Fresh Graduates and Education
Having little to no work experience, fresh graduate’s biggest assets are their education and any other activities they have accomplished while still in university.
When it comes to area of study, almost one in four fresh graduates (24%) have studied Engineering. Accounting / Finance (18%), Business / Commerce / Economics (16%), Information Technology / Computer Sciences (11%), and Sciences (9%) were also among the most popular subjects.
It looks like many fresh graduates take into account the situation of the job market before deciding what to study. Over two thirds of fresh graduates (68%) in the MENA region said that they considered the availability of jobs in their potential field before deciding their major.
On a positive note, higher education seems to be a strength in the MENA region, with the majority (75%) of fresh graduates stating that they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the quality of higher education they had received. Only 15% said that they were somewhat or very dissatisfied and the rest of respondents (9%) were neutral.
That being said, when it comes to the role of higher education in preparing students for the professional world, it seems that institutions fell a bit short. Only 32% of fresh graduates in MENA claimed that they received help from their Institute to find job opportunities during their time as college students, while 68% said they didn’t receive any support.
Fresh Graduates and Skills
What skills do fresh graduates believe are required to excel in the workplace? Well, more than half (59%) of fresh graduates think computer skills are the most essential. This was followed by linguistic and communication skills (36% each) academic and technical skills (35%).
The majority of fresh graduates are reportedly highly skilled. Almost all (91%) rate themselves as “good” or “very good” when it comes to communication skills. 90% rate themselves as “good” or “very good” in flexibility/adaptability to change, and 90% rate themselves as “good” or “very good” in computer skills.
Searching for Jobs Online
Fresh graduates are finding a lot of value in online job sites as they look for opportunities in a competitive and crowded job market. More than two thirds of MENA respondents (69%) claimed that they found or plan to find their first job through leading online job sites. Further, over one third (35%) of respondents in the MENA region claim that they found their first job in less than six months.
In addition, leading job sites such as Bayt.com are seen as the region’s apparatus for learning and career development (i.e. CV and cover letter writing, interview preparation and support, online personal branding, etc.) as well as a source of research and insights that can be of great benefit to job seekers.
Those seeking to secure their first job take advantage of the numerous entry-level jobs, internships, as well as information about the job market that leading online job sites regularly provide. Today, and on any given day, over 10,000 jobs are available on Bayt.com, nearly 5,000 of which are suitable for young job seekers and fresh graduates. It is essential that, in today’s competitive climate, fresh graduates build a robust personal brand online; widen their search parameters; and keep up to date on the most effective job search tools and practices. Online job sites allow them to do exactly that.
Read the full report here.
