Money proved the most influential motivator for young GCC nationals, according to the latest GCC Employment Reports from Oxford Strategic Consulting, an Oxford and GCC based consultancy that specialises in building human capital across the GCC and Europe.

When asked about what motivates them the most in life, young Qataris, Omanis, Saudis and Emiratis consistently ranked money has the highest motivator, with as many as 76 per cent of Omanis ranking money as a top motivation in life. Yet beyond money issues, the report surveys revealed that young GCC nationals are motivated by a range of more complex factors.

Employers and governments in the region should consider these other important motivators as part of recruitment, retention and development programmes, according to Oxford Strategic Consulting.

The country and society serve as key motivators for young nationals. In fact, ‘contributing to the country and/or helping society’ ranked as a top motivator for surveyed nationals. As many as 57 per cent of Qataris, 36 per cent of Saudis and 14 per cent of Omanis expressed a close link between country/society and their motivations.

Oxford’s ‘Maximising Emirati Talent’ report, sponsored by BP, even found that young Emiratis were slightly more motivated by helping their country than by money (41 per cent vs. 38 per cent). Mandatory national service requirements may play a role in nurturing this strong connection to the country and society.

The central role of the Gulf Arab family should not be underestimated. ‘Making my family proud’ also featured as a prominent motivator in the lives of young GCC nationals, with 43 per cent of Qataris, 35 per cent of Saudis and 15 per cent of Omanis being driven by a desire to make their families proud. A further 15 per cent of Emiratis chose ‘pride’ as a top motivator in their lives.

Many young nationals demand a strong work-life balance. Forty-four per cent of Qataris, 19 per cent of Omanis and 15 per cent of Saudis said that they are most motivated to achieve a work-life balance. Omanis working in government or semi-government roles were significantly more likely than their private-sector counterparts to choose ‘work-life balance’ as a motivator (31 per cent vs. 13 per cent). At the same time, Saudi females were more likely than males to be motivated by a work-life balance (21 per cent vs. 10 per cent).

Youth are hungry for challenge, development and excitement. Challenge (37 per cent) and development (36 per cent) served as top motivators for young Emiratis. Similarly, Qatari youth were also strongly motivated by challenge (26 per cent) and development (21 per cent). In Oman, challenge (28 per cent), travel (28 per cent) and development (23 per cent) ranked as the top motivators behind money, whereas development (28 per cent), excitement (27 per cent) and challenge (23 per cent) strongly motivated young Saudis.

While the survey reports revealed that money is a key motivator for young GCC professionals – as it is for jobseekers across the globe – there are nevertheless other key factors influencing the decisions of young jobseekers across GCC countries. The country, society and family serve as three significant motivators. While finding a work-life balance, challenge, development and excitement also strongly motivate young nationals. – TradeArabia News Service