The Monster Employment Index (MEI), a monthly gauge of online job posting activity in the Middle East, has registered an 18 per percent decline in online job postings across the UAE compared to the same period last year.

Despite this, the index registered the most optimistic results in the region on the month, reporting 16 per cent growth over the month of September, said a statement from the company.

Industries that recorded the highest growth in online recruitment across the region included production/ manufacturing, automotive and ancillary; and healthcare at 4 per cent and 2 per cent respectively, it said.

The most in-demand occupations were seen in purchase, logistics and supply chain, reporting 7 per cent growth, it added.

In contrast, the hospitality sector recorded the highest decline in online job postings with a reduction of 37 per cent from the same period last year, while demand in finance and account professionals saw job postings down by 49 per cent from October 2015.

From the GCC countries analysed, the latest MEI reveals Bahrain (2 per cent) and Oman (5 per cent) both registered a decline in online recruitment from last year, for the first time in six months. Saudi Arabia recorded a 6 per cent month on month decline and a 12 per cent year-on-year decline.

Looking at the wider Middle East region, Egypt witnessed a dramatic (47 per cent) decline since last year, the steepest among all countries monitored by Monster. E-recruitment activity in the country also plunged nine percent from last month.  

Sanjay Modi, managing director, Monster.com, Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and Middle East, said:  “This has been the first time the results for the UAE have improved since July this year, and while we hope this is an early indication of a recovery in the UAE recruitment industry, it is too early to make any predictions.”
 
“The UAE is the most promising market among the regions monitored. This can be attributed to the nation’s commitment to diversifying its economy and becoming less reliant on oil export revenues,” he said.

“With ambitious visions and developments undergoing in many sectors, the government’s strategy has succeeded in reducing the impact of the reduced oil prices on the UAE economy. Through time, and as developments continue, we believe demand for talent in the UAE will increase,” he added.  

The Monster Employment Index is based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career web sites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service