Government and civil service is the most attractive industry in the UAE, a report said, highlighting that over two thirds (68 per cent) of UAE respondents in a survey currently view the government as a “favourable” employer.

Government/civil service emerged as the industry that attracts the highest proportion of “local talent,” according to 32 per cent of UAE respondents, said the “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” Survey, compiled by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, and YouGov, research and consulting group.

 This was followed by Military/Defence/Police Services (20 per cent) as well as Banking and Finance (18 per cent).

Banking and Finance emerged as the most attractive industry for women, according to 25 per cent of UAE respondents. This was followed by Healthcare/ Medical services (24 per cent), and Hospitality/ Entertainment/ Recreation (24 per cent).

Most attractive industries

A third of respondents in the UAE (33 per cent) claimed that the Government/Civil Service industry has the highest job security. Almost one fifth of those surveyed (18 per cent) said that the Military/ Defence/ Police sector (18 per cent) has high job security.

More than a quarter of UAE respondents claim that the Government/ Civil Service industry offers the “best salary packages.” This is followed by the Banking and Finance industry (20 per cent).

In terms of the “best work-life balance,” 28 per cent of UAE respondents claim that Government/ Civil Service sector is also the top industry in this regard.

Most stressful industries

Banking and Finance and Real Estate and Construction emerged as the most stressful industries for 20 per cent and 19 per cent of UAE respondents respectively.

Hospitality/ Entertainment tops the list for the longest working hours, according to 22 per cent of UAE respondents, followed by Real Estate and Construction (14 per cent) and Healthcare / Medical services (13 per cent).

Suhail Masri, vice president of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said: “It is eye-opening to find out which industries the region’s professionals favour working in, as it is easy to rely on false impressions. More and more professionals are becoming satisfied with their job attributes, be it training opportunities or compensation or work culture. Yet, many are on the lookout for new and better career opportunities. We encourage all job seekers to make use of our website and access more than 12,000 jobs that are available on Bayt.com today.” 

Current/ most recent industry satisfaction

When looking at how satisfied UAE respondents are with their current/ most recent salary packages, 44 per cent of respondents claimed that they are satisfied with this aspect, inclusive of non-monetary benefits.

Two thirds of UAE respondents are satisfied with their working hours, nearly two thirds (64 per cent) are satisfied with their work culture, 58 per cent are satisfied with their work-life balance, and 56 per cent are satisfied with their job security.

In terms of training and development, 56 per cent of UAE respondents claim to be “completely satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the programs available to them and just over half of respondents in the UAE claim to be satisfied with their career growth.

Switching Industries

Another major finding of the survey is that a quarter of UAE respondents (25 per cent) have changed industries in the last year. Better opportunities for career growth (33 per cent), better salaries (31 per cent), and moving to a new city/country (23 per cent) are the top three reasons for their change.

Half of those surveyed in the UAE (50 per cent) are considering an industry change in the next few months. Fifty-four per cent of them are seeking better career growth opportunities, while 51 per cent are seeking a better salary.

Masri added: “We regularly advice the region’s employers to pay attention to the factors influencing employee attrition and work with us to strengthen their employer brand and their retention efforts. Our aim is to always enrich the region’s job market and empower its professionals by offering the most updated information, such as this survey, and the most powerful tools for job seekers and employers alike.”

“Respondents are evidently keen to find and maintain career opportunities that satisfy their professional and personal needs,” said Elissavet Vraka, research manager, YouGov. “This is why this survey is so insightful; it provides all professionals in the Mena region with more direction, as to which job attributes are valued the most and which fields of work are excelling in providing them.” – TradeArabia News Service