The Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa2023 survey by Bayt.com, the Middle East's #1 job site, and market research agency YouGov, was conducted to help professionals understand current satisfaction levels within certain industries and make an informed decision about their future. The survey revealed that52% of the UAE residents are satisfied with their working hours, followed by work culture (48%) and job security (46%).
Most Popular Industries
Buoyed by the post-pandemic recovery, many industries in the UAE are thriving with new career opportunities for professionals, with most job seekers interested in working in Banking/Finance/Accounting (15%), Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations (15%) and Business Consultancy/Business Management (11%).
Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com says: “The Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa survey can help employers develop and implement recruitment strategies that meet the expectations of job seekers and, as a result, stand out from their competition. Ultimately, our research aims to provide job seekers with useful and valuable information to help them make more informed decisions.”
Changing Industries
Another major finding of the survey is that22% of UAE respondents have changed their industry at least once in the past two years. For those who have changed industries, better salaries (38%) and better opportunities for career growth (24%) are the top reasons for this change.
6 in10 professionals in the UAE (60%) are considering an industry change in the next few months. Better salary (56%) is the top reason for considering an industry change, while better career growth follows at40%. Furthermore, Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals (9%) emerges as the most appealing industry amongst those who consider an industry change.
On the other hand and when asked to look ahead, IT/Internet/E-commerce (27%) is seen as the top industry that is expected to record the strongest growth next year.
Most Attractive Industries
34% of the respondents believe that Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals is the industry which offers the best salary packages (inclusive of non-monetary benefits) in the UAE. Nearly1 in5 believe that Real Estate/Construction/Property Development offer the best salaries after Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals.
Further, Healthcare/Medical Services (25%), Hospitality/Recreation/Entertainment (21%), and Education/Academia (19%) emerge as the industries which are the most attractive to females. Military/Defence/Police, Government/Civil Service (both at28%), followed by Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals (19%) are the top three industries in terms of attracting the highest proportion of local talents.
Respondents who are at the beginning of their careers revealed that Banking/Finance/Accounting (19%) and IT/Internet/E-commerce (18%) hire the highest proportion of fresh graduates among other industries.
Zafar Shah, Research Director at YouGov said: “Understanding the changing needs and motivations of professionals can help employers determine which industries are best for them to focus on when recruiting. The Top Industries survey covers key topics such as work-life balance, job satisfaction, salary expectations and career growth opportunities. By leveraging the insights from the survey, recruiters can better understand what motivates professionals and consequently focus their recruiting efforts on those factors.”
Data for the Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa survey was collected online from18 January to3 February,2023. Results are based on a sample of1,764 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and others.