The managerial and professional hiring in the UAE grew 14 per cent during the second quarter, creating a growing need for business performance services amid a resurgent job market, said a recent study.

Almost 60 per cent of surveyed businesses were found to be filling up vacant managerial and professional positions, up from 46 per cent in last quarter, said the study by Skopos Consulting Group, a leading organisation development solutions firm in the MEA region.

Around 68 per cent of polled companies said they will be hiring middle and senior-level talents within the next three months, it added.

Skopos said it expects the consultancy boom to gain more momentum as organizations aim for optimal growth with newer members onboard.

While consultancy services are traditionally contracted by the private sector, the Gulf is witnessing a surge in demand from the public sector as well, the company stated.

This affirms a recent study indicating that the public sector now accounts for over 30 per cent of the global consulting market and is expected to grow its share at around 9 per cent annually.

This, the company said, could be attributed to the advantages of consulting services such as higher levels of efficiencies and productivity.

Skopos managing director Dr Hussein El Kazzaz pointed out that corporate expansion must be matched with solid organisation development capabilities to ensure directed growth.

"Hiring the best talents is not enough; new employees must have strategic places within a broader, long-term growth plan," El Kazzaz observed.

"Unfortunately, many companies are not well-equipped to formulate, implement and monitor organisation development schemes. This is where the expertise and experience of consulting firms come in, hence the surge in demand for our services," he added.

Skopos, he said, believes that instituting positive changes within a company can only happen when the leadership and the entire workforce both believe in the potential and benefits of the proposed changes.

Skopos recommends services and tools such as executive coaching, conflict management, team building, leadership development and communication to ensure effective organizational development at both the private and public levels, he added.

Founded in 1991 in San Jose, California, Skopos then moved to the Middle East in 2002. The company now has offices in Dubai, Cairo and Bahrain.-TradeArabia News Service