The nearly 3,400 projects under way in the Gulf are putting severe strain on recruiters scouring the world for engineers and managers to run the projects, according to an expert.

Raed S. Haddad, Senior Vice President of Corporate Programmes for ESI International, a leading provider of project management training and business analysis, said:  “The booming Arabian Gulf is witnessing an unprecedented scale of construction projects across the whole civil and industrial spectrum.”

“The region is not exempt from a shortage of project managers and engineers hampering industries worldwide. Pressure is growing as companies compete with each other in an increasingly limited skills pool and costs rise as they poach personnel from each other,” he said.

According to database company Proleads, the total number of active projects taking place in the Gulf Co-operation Council countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates is close to 3,400 with a total combined value exceeding $2.4 trillion. Civil engineering and infrastructure projects of all kinds lead the way with a staggering 2,081 projects with a combined value of $1.3 trillion alone.

Strategic and tactical tips on how companies can recruit and retain technical and engineering professionals in the increasingly competitive international and Middle East markets will be outlined by leading experts ESI International, at the Middle East HR Summit that takes place from November 4 to 8 November at the National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi.

Haddad has more than 20 years experience in engineering, management and the training and development industry. He has extensive first hand engineering and project management experience on numerous international programmes and is currently responsible for implementation of all project management, business analysis, business skills training and consulting solutions for ESI’s clients, including Fortune 500 and large public agencies.

“For some companies it seems that competing simply means offering longer contracts and higher pay,” added Haddad.

But he believes that the time is right for far sighted Middle East companies to adopt alternative strategies. “Most regional CEOs recognise that their human resources are their most valuable asset. It is now time to put that mantra into practice,“he said.

However, Haddad believes this is no longer a regional phenomenon it is a global issue, due to the worldwide shortage of talent. Organisations are being forced to identify and adopt strategies to develop their existing and future employees.

“Programmes to develop individuals that will improve their quality of life, raise the bar beyond that of the dollars they are paid,” he remarked.

Certain commentators believe that the Middle East market is not mature enough to embrace these policies, but Haddad disagrees: “Industry perceptions were exactly the same within the United States 10 years ago. If businesses in the region are to compete globally beyond the next decade, they had better start examining these issues now,” he concluded.  – TradeArabia News Service