The latest Middle East Job Index Survey, compiled by the Middle East’s leading job site, Bayt.com, and research and consulting group, YouGov, has revealed that many employers are planning to hire soon within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In Qatar in particular, more than six in10 employers (65%) are planning to hire in the year ahead.
Hiring intentions in the next three and next12 months
Within the next three months, more than half of Qatari employers (55%) said that they are “definitely” or “probably” going to hire. Among Qatari companies that plan to hire within the next three months, over a third (37%) are going to hire for “Junior Executive” roles, followed by28% who intend to hire a “Coordinator”, and24% who intend to hire an “Executive” and a “Senior Executive”. Most respondents in Qatar (17%) also said they are looking to hire “Civil Engineers” and “Executive Assistants”, while15% said they want to hire other categories of “Engineers”.
When looking at which industries are hiring in the MENA region over the next three months, more than two thirds (67%) of organizations in the Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment industry and Human Resources industry are planning to hire, making them the industries with the highest hiring potential. This is followed closely by organizations in Business Consultancy/ Business Management industries (57%).
Private sector companies have the highest intention to hire in the next three months, with54% of large local companies,52% of multinational companies and51% of other private sector companies, ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ hiring.
Looking at future hiring expectations,65% of employers in Qatar plan to hire in a year’s time. Private-sector companies continue to have the highest hiring intentions in a year’s time, with69% of large local companies,69% of other private sector companies, and68% of multinational companies saying that they will be ‘definitely hiring’ or ‘probably hiring’.
From those surveyed,72% of respondents in Qatar claim that their company has hired new employees in the past12 months.
“The hiring forecast in Qatar is looking promising, with65% of Qatari employers planning to hire in a year’s time and more than half (55%) planning to hire within the next three months,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “It is also worth mentioning that51% of those planning to hire predict having at least five vacancies to fill in the next three months. These responses come as no surprise to us: there are currently more than10,000 jobs posted on Bayt.com. We will continue to work closely with the region’s employers to help them find their talent. We will also continue empowering and supporting job seekers who are going to make use of these new and exciting job vacancies.”
Qualifications, skills and experience in demand by employers
In terms of academic qualification, a large number of Qatari employers are looking for “Engineering” Graduates or Post Graduates (37%), followed by “Business Management” (25%), “Commerce” (15%), “Hospitality” (15%), and “Administrative” Qualifications (15%). When it comes to skills in high demand, more than half (54%) of employers in Qatar are looking for employees with “good communication skills in both English and Arabic”,49% are looking for “ability to work under pressure”, and47% are looking for “team players / cooperative / helpful / flexible” candidates.
In terms of experience,35% of Qatari employers are looking for candidates with “administrative experience”,32% are looking for “mid-level (3 to7 years) experience”, and another30% are looking for candidates with “managerial experience”.
Masri adds: “We encourage organizations looking to hire to use features on Bayt.com such as CV Search and Job Postings, which can help meet their pressing hiring needs and ensure that they fill their vacancies as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.”
“We look at hiring expectancy throughout the MENA region as it can serve as a positive reflection on the economy. When looking at the MENA job market, the private sector has highlighted that they are planning to offer a large number of employment options in the next few months and the year ahead. It is also important to have insights on which skills, academic qualifications, and experience levels are in highest demand. Job seekers can plan accordingly,” said Arleen Gonsalves, Associate Research Manager, YouGov.
Data for the Bayt.com Middle East Job Index survey was collected online between December4th,2016 and January22nd,2017. Results are based on a sample of3,107 respondents from the following countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Pakistan.