The UAE online recruitment landscape has registered the highest growth in the region at 27 per cent in the third quarter (Q3) from Q2 this year as financial support by the government is strengthened across various sectors, a report said.

The surge in online recruitment across the Emirates over the past three months coincides with the recently announced increase of Dh1.97 billion ($536 million) for the current fiscal year allocated from the country's general reserves, according to the Q3 Monster Employment Index (MEI).

With large proportions of this additional budget being allocated to the National Media Council and the Emirates Space Agency, the MEI has witnessed the highest growth within occupations in marketing & communications/arts/creative and engineering with 28 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.  

Abhijeet Mukherjee, chief executive officer, Monster.com, APAC & Middle East, said: “The quick impact that the announcement of the budget increase had on the related sectors is very impressive. With online recruitment offering a glimpse of the areas that local businesses are focusing on, it is evident that companies in the UAE are quick to respond to the government’s agenda. We have already seen a spike in demand for engineers and media professionals which may be a result of the national focus on these sectors for the remainder of this year.”

“The government has also recently announced the Tomorrow 21 initiative to stimulate the economy of the capital. It will be interesting to see how the recruitment landscape will transform in the early months of the year ahead as a result of this announcement,” added Mukherjee.

The government launched the Tomorrow 21 initiative last month whereby $13.6 billion have been allocated to stimulate the economy of Abu Dhabi. The initiative is a phased plan comprised of 50 projects that are set to advance the capital for the benefit of its citizens, residents and investors.

Other occupations in the UAE to register growth in Q3 2018 include finance and accounting at 16 per cent, and software/hardware/telecom and HR/Admin at 13 per cent growth each.

Industries to contribute to the growth of the UAE online recruitment market include chemicals (plastic, rubber, paints, fertilizer and pesticides) at 15 per cent, and production (manufacturing, automotive and ancillary) and oil and gas recording 12 per cent growth each. – TradeArabia News Service