About 57 per cent of organisations in the UAE are currently hiring at managerial and professional level, representing an increase of 8 per cent year-on-year and 13 per cent since June 2013, a report said.

Meanwhile, the percentage of businesses letting go of talent has significantly dropped over the past year from 29 per cent in January 2013 to 13 per cent, and projected to fall to just 6 per cent in the next quarter, added the latest ‘Global Snapshot’ survey conducted by global search and selection specialist Antal International.

Specialists in education, electronics, accounting and consulting, pharmaceuticals and energy are all currently in demand as the majority of businesses in these sectors are taking staff on at managerial and professional level.

In the next quarter, professionals in agriculture, basic materials and retail can expect to be sought after as the UAE’s growing economy intensifies the demand for labour.

Figures from the Snapshot highlight the impressive growth shown by many countries in the Middle East. Currently the highest hiring rates can be found in the UAE, but it’s predicted that by the next quarter both the Qatari and Saudi Arabian employment markets will be near this level, highlighting the continued growth shown by these nations.

“With the global economy showing signs of stuttering growth, it’s encouraging to see so many organisations across the globe reporting increased hiring activity on the last edition of the Snapshot,” said Antal chairman, Tony Goodwin.

“At the very least these results indicate increased stability within the market. While some areas around the world face continued difficulty, on the whole the signs are promising. It remains difficult to paint a complete picture but signs from some markets show growth and an indication that for many, the time for doing more-for-less is over. It will be interesting to see how this develops in the next quarter, but for now the signs are promising.”

Nizar Lalani, managing partner, Antal UAE, said: “UAE is going through a period of phenomenal business growth. Dubai recently won its bid to host the World Expo and is now developing an enormous site to host the six-month long event in 2020. This is expected to attract over 25 million visitors from all over the world.”

“Elsewhere, neighbouring Qatar will be hosting the World Cup in 2022 for which the state is preparing an enormous infrastructure. These high profile events combined with huge developments in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia are the major economic growth drivers in the region.

“As a result of this investment the construction and property sector is back on track and there’s been significant money spent on developing the FMCG, services and manufacturing sectors. The regional airlines from this part of the world are also faring well, particularly Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways which are continuing to invest in expansion,” Lalani added. – TradeArabia News Service