The oil, gas and petrochemicals industry is the most preferred for employment in the UAE, a report said, adding that government careers are also thought of highly and attract more than half of the local talent.

About 44 per cent of employed respondents are satisfied with the salary package in their current industry, while 47 per cent are satisfied with their ability to maintain a good work-life balance, added the “Top Industries in Mena" survey conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, and YouGov, a research and consulting organisation.

They are also generally content with the potential for career growth (with 37 per cent being satisfied); job security (46 per cent); working hours (56 per cent); and training and development opportunities (40 per cent). 50 per cent are happy with their current work culture, which shows that UAE work environment is a happy one.

The best salary packages in the UAE are perceived to be in the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry (56 per cent); though government, civil services and utilities careers are also seen to pay well, according to 30 per cent. Government jobs are also seen as being the best for maintaining a good work-life balance (43 per cent), followed by oil, gas and petrochemicals (33 per cent) and banking and finance (24 per cent).

Oil, gas and petrochemicals offers the best potential for career growth according to the majority of respondents (44 per cent), with banking and finance coming second (26 per cent). The highest levels of job security are seen to be in government positions (42 per cent), though there is also a perceived high degree of security in oil, gas and petrochemicals (40 per cent) and military, defense, police and security services (20 per cent).

Respondents believe that the most stressful industries are construction (30 per cent), banking and finance (23 per cent), advertising, media, PR, market research and publishing (16 per cent), and oil, gas and petrochemicals (16 per cent). Construction is also considered to have the longest working hours, by a third of respondents (32 per cent).

“It’s easier than ever before to find jobs in different industries. On Bayt.com we currently have an average of 10,000 vacancies every day across industries, job roles, and career levels. In addition to posted jobs, there is a universe of hidden jobs, where employers fill thousands of unadvertised vacancies using the Bayt.com CV Search leading technology,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com.

“Besides posting their CVs, Bayt.com professionals can now showcase their skills, merits and interests on the Bayt.com Specialties platform which supports a constant career dialogue and a wealth of opportunity to be recognized by potential employers, clients and peers in the industry.

“There are over 80,000 specialties on Bayt.com Specialties today growing rapidly due to the popularity and depth of Bayt.com's unique new value proposition and we see this new realm for career advancement as the new frontier of recruitment and certainly the definition of where the vanguard of the online recruitment business is today,” he added.

Women in the UAE are most attracted to banking and finance according to 34 per cent of respondents, followed by education and academia (34 per cent), and healthcare, medical services and pharmaceuticals (28 per cent).

Local talent is seem to be drawn predominantly to government, civil service and utilities jobs (55 per cent), military, defense, police or security services (35 per cent), and oil, gas and petrochemicals (29 per cent).

In the past year, respondents believe that the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry has seen the strongest growth (34 per cent), followed by real estate (22 per cent), and banking and finance (21 per cent).

According to 68 per cent of UAE respondents, the government is a favorable employer.

A fifth of UAE respondents (19 per cent) have changed the industry they work in the last 24 months, with 57 per cent considering an industry change in the next few years. Oil, gas and petrochemicals is the industry of choice for 22 per cent, though government (12 per cent) and banking and finance (9 per cent) jobs are also popular. The top reasons for career changes are perceived better salaries (71 per cent), career growth opportunities (56 per cent), and better benefits (40 per cent).

Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov, said: “Within the UAE, it is very clear which industry is the most preferable, though interestingly the majority of regional respondents are keen to find employment in the IT, electronics and telecommunications industry rather than in oil, gas and petrochemicals.” – TradeArabia News Service