More than half of the UAE’s employers plan to recruit in the last quarter of this year, according to a jobs index study conducted by leading jobsite Bayt.com in conjunction with research specialists YouGov Siraj.

The Jobs Index (JI) is conducted to gauge perceptions of job availability and hiring, to identify job trends and to provide an understanding of the key skill sets and qualifications required in the Middle East job market.

In the UAE, a quarter of the respondents - 25 per cent- said that their organisations would “definitely” be hiring in the next three months, and another 25 per cent said they would “probably” be hiring. By contrast, 11 per cent said they would definitely not be hiring in the next quarter.

Across the Mena region, the countries recorded varying propensities to hire as part of the Jobs Index. Respondents in Oman had the highest propensity to hire, with 35 per cent saying that their organisations will definitely be recruiting new staff in the coming months.

 Jordan and Egypt showed the lowest propensity to hire with just 22 per cent of respondents for both countries saying they will definitely hire in the next three months, the survey said.

It asked the respondents how many positions their organisations would be aiming to fill in the next three months.

For the most part, organisations are looking to recruit staff for less than five positions: 47 per cent said that less than five jobs will be available, and 22 per cent said that between six and 10 jobs will be available. Interestingly, three per cent of respondents said that they will be looking to fill more than one hundred vacancies in the coming quarter.

'The global recession still seems to be affecting parts of the region. Regional companies seem to be maintaining a climate of cost-consciousness and an emphasis on maximizing returns on investment specifically in the HR arena.'

'This, however, has been seen to favor online jobsites such as bayt.com where employers are aware that they can find the region’s top talent for key positions in the fastest, easiest, most effective and most cost-efficient manner”, observed Amer Zureikat, vice president sales Bayt.com.

Of those that are likely to be employed, graduates or postgraduates in business management stand the best chance, the official added.

According to the study, 26 per cent of organisations around the Middle East favour employing staff that are qualified in this field. Furthermore, graduates or postgraduates in commerce and administration are equally sought after by the region’s organisations, with 24 per cent and 23 per cent of respondents citing personnel in these fields as highly desirable.

“The Middle East, and more specifically the Gulf, is growing as a global finance and commerce hub, and as such, graduates in these fields are likely to find it easier than others to find employment,” said Sundip Chahal, chief operating officer, YouGov Siraj.

Being able to communicate in both English and Arabic is a desirable trait that employers look for when selecting new staff according to the study – 61 per cent of respondents agreed this is what they look for most in a potential new employee.

Being a co-operative, flexible, and helpful team player is also a clear skill priority among the region’s organisations, with 52 per cent stating it is the most desirable trait. Having an agreeable overall personality and demeanour  was cited as the most desirable trait by 46 per cent of the survey’s respondents.

“The figures suggest that when recruiting, employers will not immediately choose the most qualified candidate, rather, the region’s organisations place much more emphasis on key skills such as communication and teamwork, and personality traits such as being a good leader,” noted Sundip.

The JI is in part gauged by asking the respondents what their hiring expectancy is in a year’s time; this forms the Hiring Expectancy Index (HEI).

In the long term, 69 per cent of the region’s organisations expect to hire, suggesting widespread optimism for the future. Job seekers in Saudi are likely to be the luckiest at finding work in a year’s time, with 39 per cent of  the country’s respondents stating they will “definitely” be hiring in 12 months’ time.

In the UAE, only six per cent said they will probably or definitely not be hiring in a year’s time.  By contrast, 27 per cent said they would definitely hire in a year.

Data for the October 2010 Jobs Index was collected online between September 15 and October 13 from 4,765 executive managers/HR managers/senior officials in the GCC and Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Pakistan.-TradeArabia News Service