Saudi Arabia and Kuwait lead the GCC in terms of hiring activity during December 2015, which rose by 18 per cent and 14 per cent respectively, while UAE recorded a 2 per cent growth, a report said.

Industries such as services and education witnessed a phenomenal increase in jobs creation, according to Naukrigulf Job Speak Index, a monthly Job Speak Index by Naukrigulf.com, a leading job site in the region.

FMCG, IT & telecom, manufacturing and healthcare maintained a positive trend while banking, retail and oil & gas registered a dip in the overall job market. The data also shows increased demand for professionals in IT, medical, engineering and technical domain but a slump in new jobs for finance & accounts professionals while sales & marketing recorded no new jobs.

Naukrigulf Job Speak Index also saw an increased demand for middle and senior level professionals, freshers and junior level candidates also witnessed an increase but not as much as their senior counterparts.

Tarun Aggarwal, business head- Naukrigulf.com, said, “We are excited to launch Naukrigulf Job Speak Index for GCC, which will provide employers and jobseekers, a complete measure of movements in the hiring activity in the region.”

“Going forward, this monthly index will be a representation of new jobs being created in the GCC.  In this first edition, the region witnessed a growth of 7 per cent new jobs in December over October’2015.

“Hiring trends in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait look impressive whereas UAE, Oman and Bahrain are slowly moving ahead over this period. Sector wise, there is an exponential increase in the demand for services, recruitment and consulting opportunities in the GCC. Positive news is for professionals in IT and medical field, and overall the job market in the GCC is looking positive.”

Country-wise analysis:

All countries in the GCC have witnessed positive hiring activity in December over October 2015.

•    Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain recorded a positive growth in the job market of 18 per cent, 14 per cent, 9 per cent and 6 per cent respectively  
•    United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain have also seen positive movements by 2 per cent, 3 per cent and 6 per cent respectively

Sectoral analysis

Most industries in the GCC region saw more job opportunities for prospective candidates.

•    Services lead the new jobs market with a 60 per cent growth in December over October’15
•    Education with 21 per cent, trading 17 per cent, FMCG, IT, telecom & Internet at 14 per cent, manufacturing  & healthcare at 12 per cent and 10 per cent respectively also offered new job opportunities
•    Retail -16 per cent, banking & finance -12 per cent recorded a slump while oil, gas, chemicals & energy -3 per cent witnessed a dip in new jobs being created.  
•    Construction & allied only grew by 1 per cent

Role- wise demand

Increased opportunities for IT and medical professionals in the GCC.

•    High demand for IT professionals, recorded 21 per cent increase in jobs creation
•    Medical professionals followed with an increase of 14 per cent
•    HR & Admin and engineering jobseekers saw new jobs growing by 3 per cent
•    Decline in hiring activity for finance & accounts professionals by -2 per cent
•    There was no increase in the number of jobs for sales & marketing professionals

Work experience scenario

New job opportunities on the rise at every level, with middle and senior management positions leading the way.

•    New job opportunities for middle and senior management positions are highest in the GCC, at 15 per cent
•    New jobs for junior employees and freshers were recorded at 3 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. – TradeArabia News Service