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 the UAE in particular, nearly seven in10 employers (69%) are planning to hire in a year’s time.
Hiring intentions in the next three and next12 months
Within the next three months, more than half of UAE employers (52%) said that they are “definitely” or “probably” going to hire. Among UAE companies that plan to hire within the next three months, nearly half (45%) are going to hire for “Junior Executive” roles, followed by28% who intend to hire a “Coordinator”, and27% intend to hire a “Manager”. Most respondents in the UAE also said they are looking to hire “Sales Executives” (22%), while15% said they want to hire “Customer Service Representatives”.
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, nearly70% of employers in the UAE claim that they intend 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,75% of UAE respondents claim that their company has hired new employees in the past12 months.
“The hiring forecast in the UAE is looking promising, with69% of UAE employers planning to hire in a year’s time and more than half (52%) planning to hire within three months,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “It is also worth mentioning that39% of those planning to hire predict having at least five vacancies to fill this year. 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 UAE employers are looking for “Engineering” Graduates or Post Graduates (28%), followed by “Business Management” (27%) and “Commerce” (20%). When it comes to skills in high demand, more than half (54%) of employers in the UAE are looking for employees with “good communication skills in both English and Arabic”, and over half (51%) are looking for “team players / cooperative / helpful / flexible” candidates.
In terms of experience,32% of UAE employers are looking for candidates with good “administrative experience”,31% are looking for “managerial experience”, and another30% are looking for candidates with “sales and marketing experience”.
Attractiveness of job market and industry
The majority of respondents in the UAE (59%) feel that their country of residence is “more attractive” than other MENA countries as a potential place for employment.
The industries that have emerged as the ones attracting the top talent in the UAE include: Real Estate/ Property Development (36%), Banking/ Finance (31%), Advertising/ Marketing / Public Relations (31%), and Hospitality / Recreation / Entertainment (31%).
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 the 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.