A majority of employers in the UAE and GCC are very positive about hiring this year, according to a corporate survey conducted by BAC Middle East.

Decision-makers are also more optimistic about the business environment than they were at this time last year. The survey of more than 250 companies sent exclusively to Emirates Business, reveals that the majority (59 per cent) of respondents described themselves as "fairly optimistic" about the year ahead, with 31 per cent and five per cent describing themselves as "optimistic" and "very optimistic" respectively.

In terms of employment outlook, 54 per cent said they expected their organisation to undertake some hirings this year, up from 37 per cent in 2009, while 35 per cent said they will "possibly" engage in recruitment in 2010.

"The generally positive sentiments were expressed across almost all industries. The main exceptions were some of the real estate developers and some companies in the construction and construction materials sectors, which were relatively more negative in their future outlook," said Siobhan O'Reilly, Recruitment Manager at BAC Middle East.

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