While more than half of the companies in Mena are considering hiring in the next three months, 32 per cent in the UAE claim to be ‘definitely hiring’ within this timeframe, according to the latest Bayt.com Job Index survey, conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one jobsite, and YouGov, a research and consulting organisation.

UAE

Six out of 10 respondents in the UAE (57 per cent) state that their company will be ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ hiring in the next 3 months (also at 57 per cent in Q1), with 67 per cent claiming the same in a year’s time from now  (also at 67 per cent in Q1). The majority respondents (69 per cent) indicate they aim to fill up to 10 positions. Of these, 25 per cent claim they will look to fill between 6-10 positions.

The more desirable qualifications for job candidates in the UAE to hold are those in engineering (27 per cent), business management (24 per cent) and commerce (23 per cent), while employers prefer candidates with good communication skills in both English and Arabic (51 per cent), who have good leadership skills (49 per cent) and who are team players (45 per cent).

In terms of experience, candidates who have the ability to manage a team (37 per cent) are desirable, as are those who have experience in sales and marketing (32 per cent) and computer skills (30 per cent).

More than half of UAE respondents (54 per cent) believe that the country is much more attractive as a job market than other Middle East countries. The most attractive industries in the UAE are perceived to be banking and finance (34 per cent), construction (33 per cent) and oil, gas and petrochemicals (33 per cent).

Across Mena

Across the region, 30 per cent of companies claim to be definitely hiring, with an additional 25 per cent ‘probably hiring’ in the coming 3 months. The country with the highest hiring expectancy in the next 3 months is Saudi Arabia, with a collective 65 per cent of companies ‘definitely’ (41 per cent) or ‘probably’ (24 per cent) hiring. The country with the lowest hiring expectancy is Morocco, with only 17 per cent of companies ‘definitely’ hiring, and 21 per cent ‘probably’ hiring.

In the next 12 months, 31 per cent of the region’s companies expect to be ‘definitely hiring’, and 37 per cent will be ‘probably hiring’. Algeria has the highest expectations for future hiring, with 75 per cent of its companies claiming they will ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ take on new employees in the next year. Bahrain is at the other end of the scale, with just 48 per cent of its companies anticipating new hires within the same period.

The majority of jobs across the region will come from the private sector in the next 3 months, led by large local companies (34 per cent ‘definitely’ and 29 per cent ‘probably’ hiring), multi-nationals (35 per cent ‘definitely’ and 24 per cent ‘probably’ hiring), and small-medium local companies (27 per cent ‘definitely’ and 30 per cent ‘probably’ hiring); these three sectors dominate hiring expectancies in the next 12 months, too.

“The fact that are many jobs coming from small-to-medium sized local companies is a good sign of booming local economies in the Middle East, as this signals that smaller entrepreneurial ventures are more comfortable hiring than they were in the beginning of the year,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com.

“At Bayt.com, we specialise in gathering the most relevant information that will help job seekers and employers alike to make informed decisions based on the regional employment market.”

Regionally in the next 3 months, the majority of companies (45 per cent) are looking to hire less than five jobs, with 24 per cent looking to fill between 6-10 new positions. The majority of jobs will be for junior executives (33 per cent), executives (28 per cent), and managers (27 per cent).

Employees with qualifications in business management (28 per cent), engineering (25 per cent), and commerce (21 per cent) are most in demand, while the most desirable skills for regional job seekers are the ability to communicate well in both English and Arabic (50 per cent), the ability to be a team player (48 per cent), and good leadership skills (47 per cent). Candidates with experience in managing a team (42 per cent), computer skills (31 per cent), and sales and marketing (27 per cent) are also sought after.

“The trend continues that more companies are looking to hire junior executives and executives, which is good news for graduates and first-time employees. That there are a number of upcoming jobs in the private sector should contribute to resolving regional unemployment issues by providing new graduates with career opportunities,” said Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov.

The Mena’s most attractive industries are perceived to be banking and finance (35 per cent - up from 33 per cent in the first half of 2013), construction (32 per cent - equal to the first half of 2013), telecommunications (31 per cent - down 2 per cent from the first half of 2013).

According to respondents, the Mena’s most attractive countries to live and work in are the UAE (54 per cent of UAE residents say their country is most attractive), followed by Qatar (46 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (44 per cent). – TradeArabia News Service