An index of online job demand in the Middle East based on a real-time review of thousands of employer job opportunities has gained 28 per cent on an annual basis.

The Monster Employment Index is culled from a large representative selection of career Web sites and online job listings. While not reflecting the trend of any one advertiser or source, it is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across industries.

“The Monster Employment Index Middle East shows regional employers are continuing to drive a consistent escalation in online recruitment activity,” said Sanjay Modi, managing director, Monster.com (India/Middle East/South East Asia).

“This is especially true in major economies like Saudi Arabia and UAE where ongoing positive momentum is informing positive hiring trends in sectors like healthcare, education and banking and finance.”

Nine of the 12 industry sectors monitored by the index saw improved recruitment levels when compared to November, 2010.

Healthcare (up 43 per cent) led all industry sectors in terms of annual growth, while education (up 40 percent) claimed the second position.

Employers maintained an upward hiring trend in banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) to mark a rise of 26 per cent. The index reading for the sector climbed from 115 in October to 126 in November and was among the fastest growing sectors annually.

Oil and gas (down 4 percent) saw online opportunities slip below their year-ago levels, while chemicals/ plastic/ rubber, paints, fertilizer/ pesticides (down 18 percent) registered the most notable year-over-year drop among sectors in November.

Hospitality (down 10 percent) was the only sector to record negative month-on-month growth.

Occupation year-over-year trends

Online demand expanded in nine of the 11 occupation groups between November, 2010 and November, 2011.

Demand for health care (up 29 percent) professionals escalated aligning with growth observed in healthcare sector. The group recorded the most notable longer-term growth among all occupational categories.

Online demand for finance and account (up 13 per cent) professionals rebounded, while software, hardware and telecom professionals recorded the steepest month-on-month gain among occupation groups; up 12 per cent. The longer-term trend pointed to stability, improving on October’s slightly negative trajectory.

Sales and business development (up 26 per cent) saw online demand contract month-on- month in November; down from 130 in October to 126 in November. This is the first month-on-month drop of the series since July.

Hospitality and travel (down 1 percent) notched further gains on the month, but overall sector recruitment stood 1 percent lower than a year ago. This is the only group to chart an annual decline in the November Index.

Geographic year-over-year trends

Online opportunities exceeded November’10 level in four of the seven countries monitored by the index.

Saudi Arabia (up 52 percent) registered the most dramatic longer-term growth as employers maintained an uptrend in hiring for the fourth month in a row.

Kuwait (up 4 percent) recorded the most notable growth in online recruitment activity between October’11 and November’11, while Bahrain and Qatar (down 8 percent) recorded the most dramatic annual decline among countries. – TradeArabia News Service