Just over half (56 per cent) of employers across Mena feel comfortable their company has sufficient skilled employees to achieve this year’s goals, indicating a skills gap in the region, according to a new report.

Meanwhile, over 1 in every 4 surveyed employers (28 per cent) are unsure, while 16 per cent feel their company does not have sufficient skilled employees to meet their goals, elaborated the Mena survey conducted by Bayt.com, a leading job site and YouGov.

The study covers aspects such as availability of new talent, what positions organizations are hiring for, which skills they rate as most important during recruitment, and which skills new talent lack most.

Among employers looking to hire in the Mena, highest demand can be seen for entry-level positions (junior executives and executives, at 52 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively). A healthy 10 per cent of employers surveyed are currently searching for director-level candidates. While GCC employers show a greater need for senior executives, coordinators, and managers, the higher demand for entry-level positions was largely consistent across the region.

In terms of job roles, sales positions are most in demand (20 per cent of employers say they’re looking for “sales executives” and 16 per cent say they’re looking for “sales managers”). Other in-demand positions are: project managers (15 per cent); engineers (14 per cent mechanical and 13 per cent electrical); accountants (12 per cent); and administrative assistants (12 per cent).

Results suggest that, aside from a couple of exceptions, demand for most positions is generally highest among GCC employers (being especially high for sales executives (25 per cent) and project managers (19 per cent).

When asked to rate the importance of various skills when looking to hire for senior versus mid-level or junior positions, employers across the region have higher expectations of senior hires.

Collaboration/teamwork (88 per cent), efficiency (87 per cent), communication skills (85 per cent), overall personality and demeanour (85 per cent), leadership qualities (84 per cent), the ability to work under pressure (84 per cent) and planning/organizational skills (84 per cent) are regarded as the most important attributes in a senior hire.

These skills were also among the most valued for mid- to junior-level positions, however, to a lesser degree: efficiency (81 per cent), communication skills (80 per cent), collaboration/teamwork (80 per cent), and the ability to work under pressure (79 per cent).

The biggest gap in expectations between senior and mid-to-junior-level positions are seen for planning/organization skills (84 per cent regarded it as important for senior level positions vs. 70 per cent for mid-to-junior level); relevant industry experience (78 per cent for senior level positions vs. 67 per cent for mid-to-junior level); negotiation skills (78 per cent for senior level positions vs. 68 per cent for mid-to-junior level); overall personality and demeanour (85 per cent for senior level positions vs. 75 per cent for mid-to-junior level).
In terms of industries, engineering and design (11 per cent) is most likely to be looking for skilled candidates this year.

Employers have their say: What skills are lacking?

Employer feedback in the survey suggests it can be challenging to find candidates with the required skill sets, with the difficulty being experienced for both senior and mid-to-junior-level positions.

When asked about the difficulty of finding specific skills in senior candidates, Mena employers say that creative thinking (63 per cent), critical thinking and problem solving (63 per cent), adaptability/managing multiple priorities (60 per cent), international work experience (60 per cent) and leadership skills (59 per cent) were the top skills that candidates lack.

Interestingly, ‘technical skills’ are seen as posing the least challenge, with only 50 per cent finding these skills difficult to find in senior candidates.

Suhail Masri, vice president of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com, said: “It is really interesting that the skills gap in the Middle East is not one of technical skills, but of soft skills. To add to the challenge, it’s much easier to assess and qualify a candidate based on his or her technical skills, as opposed to soft skills.”

“At Bayt.com, we have been designing solutions to help employers find the most suitable talents and help job seekers highlight their non-technical skills for years, redefining the online recruitment landscape in the region. Over the past few years, the Bayt.com Specialties platform has evidently addressed an urgent need by our users to express their skills and expertise beyond the confines of the CV document.

“It empowers professionals to tell the stories that go far beyond a CV, while also helping employers discover these stories, and learn what these professionals are really all about. Often, the classic markers of competence, such as work history, education, credentials, and the like, are not the only pointers to professional leadership. It is well-thought-out, intelligent and original content related to areas of interest and expertise that can make people shine. That’s what Bayt.com Specialties is all about: helping professionals, at all career levels and in all industries and roles, to highlight their unique abilities and truly shine,” he added.

Masri continued: “Another product we have that helps employers assess soft skills is Bayt.com Tests. Job seekers can choose from over a hundred tests designed by experts and showcase their results on their CVs. These tests cover a wide array of topics, from EQ to negotiation skills to business communication.”

Job seekers in the UAE: What they’re looking for

Banking/Finance (25 per cent), Oil/Gas & Petrochemicals (24 per cent), Advertising/Marketing/Public Relations (23 per cent), Engineering/Design and Business Consultancy/Business Management/Management (20 per cent each) emerged as the most industries sectors with job seekers in the UAE, who are mostly looking for mid-career or junior positions (79 per cent); in fact, 37 per cent said they were looking for Executive positions, 29 per cent for Senior Executive positions, and 42 per cent for Junior Executive positions. A smaller proportion was looking for more specialized or senior positions (18 per cent and 7 per cent were searching for analyst and director positions, respectively).

When people seeking employment for senior positions in the UAE are asked about the skills they possess, they rated ‘collaboration/teamwork’ as their strongest skill (98 per cent). This was followed by ‘overall personality and demeanour’, ‘communication skills’, ‘ability to work under pressure’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘critical thinking and problem solving’ (97 per cent, 96 per cent, 96 per cent, 96 per cent and 96 per cent, respectively).

Similarly, when people seeking employment for junior-to-mid-level positions are asked about the skills they possess, they rated ‘collaboration/teamwork’ as their strongest skill (94 per cent). This was followed by ‘overall personality and demeanour’ (93 per cent).

Despite their generally positive view of their own skill level, more than half of the job seekers surveyed in the UAE find it difficult to secure a job with their current skills (59 per cent), with 19 per cent claiming it is ‘very difficult’. Job seekers also rated the importance of various skills in improving their chances of finding a job.

Most candidates looking for senior positions place ‘communication skills’ at the top of their list (88 per cent). The subsequent skills mentioned included ‘adaptability/ managing multiple priorities’, ‘ability to work under pressure’, ‘overall personality and demeanour’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘critical thinking and problem solving’ (at 87 per cent each).  Meanwhile, those looking for mid-level/junior positions believe the ‘ability to work under pressure’ (91 per cent) followed by ‘communication skills’ (89 per cent) are the most important skills that will improve their chances of finding a job.

In order to keep their skills current, job seekers in the UAE are committed to self-improvement and rated reading articles and journals (62 per cent), reading books (53 per cent), researching industry best practices (46 per cent) and taking online courses (39 per cent) as the most popular methods to achieve this.

“In today’s dynamic and ever-evolving job market, candidates need to be constantly looking for new ways to enhance their skills in order to differentiate themselves, optimize their profile and effectively navigate complex work environments,” said Joao Neves, senior research director, YouGov.

“Ideally, to maximize the impact of their efforts, industry leaders, educational institutions and governments should work together to provide job seekers with clear guidance on future growth areas in the region and most desirable skills to succeed.” – TradeArabia News Service