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29 March 2024

Find most rewarding UAE jobs despite fewer options

75% of business executives based in GCC see IT training and competence as key driver for success of business. (File)

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

If you haven’t heard from potential employers, it’s probably not your fault. There are fewer jobs in the market to be grabbed right now and employers are being cautious with their hiring plans, limiting the opportunities for candidates in the UAE.

According to the latest Monster Employment Index Middle East Index, the growth in the number of jobs available online in the UAE has been rather subdued. This is on the back of a strong 2014, when employers were in a buoyant mood to increase their headcount.

It may come as a setback to those scouting for jobs from outside the UAE and it has also put a lid on the plans of employees within the country who’d been thinking of quitting their current jobs to move to more challenging and better paying roles.

The Monster Index marks a deep decline in recruitment activity in the Middle East in the month of January and this was witnessed across most of the industry sectors and occupational groups.

More specifically, the UAE registered a significant 10 per cent drop in opportunities year-on-year (January 2014 numbers over January 2015).

Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com, India, Middle East and South East Asia, says: “2015 paints a very contrasting picture to the strong growth in recruitment levels seen all through last year. This decline can be principally attributed to the hospitality sector, which, off the back of falling oil prices and the strength of the dollar, is facing increased uncertainty.”

Despite the drop in vacancies, there are still some bright sectors that can offer opportunities to those looking to enter the job market or just for a change.

IT and telecom/ISP is one sector where you could still scout for jobs. This particular industry saw a decent growth of 9 per cent year-over-year.

Engineering, construction and real estate may also offer jobs to candidates as these sectors together have marked a 3 per cent growth over the said period.

Sectors where you will have the most difficulty looking for jobs include production/manufacturing, automotive and ancillary after recording a negative growth of 17 per cent during the same period.

Consumer goods/ FMCG, food & packaged food, home appliance, garments/ textiles/ leather, gems & jewellery  fared worse with a 32 per cent dip in growth.

Data from recruitment company Morgan McKinley UAE also points to the same trend. The company’s numbers show the jump in hiring has slowed down a bit as professionals active in the UAE jobs market totalled 38,746 in Q4 2014, which was 2 per cent higher than 37,617 in Q3 2014. In the last quarter of 2013, there were 38,043 job seekers looking for new professional roles which, when compared to Q4 2014, marks a rise of 9 per cent.

However, experts maintain that this lull in the job market is rather short-lived.

According to Monster’s Modi, various “reports and surveys have forecasted a very positive outlook for the coming 12 months for GCC. In light of this growth, many companies in the UAE are focusing on their marketing strategies, promoting and launching new products.”