'Advertising, media hiring heavily in UAE'

There’s good news for advertising and media professionals in the UAE as hiring activity seems to be on the rise, according to an international recruitment company.

Morgan McKinley, a recruitment consultancy, claims“ advertising and media are hiring heavily, particularly in the digital sphere.”

According to the findings of the company, media and communications has seen an increased demand since the doldrums of 2009 and public relations has seen a major shift post-recession.

Commenting on the trend in the industry, Morgan McKinley analysts say there is demand for professionals with regional experience. “Agencies and companies in this field are generally less likely to relocate talent outside of the GCC as demand for local experience grows.”

But there are instances when employers also look out of the region for jobs that demand so. “Employers’ needs are more specialist now and quality is still at a premium, which has led to a willingness to source staff from outside the region,” the consultancy claims.

“In marketing and communications there has been a marked shift from relocating professionals outside of the region to focusing on existing talent though we have seen a greater demand placed in the digital sphere, with the relocation of job seekers from the West. The sophistication and quality of the market has been recognised by international awards in 2011 but it is hoped that standards continue to rise if this momentum is set to continue,” it added.

On pay scales and compensation trend, McKinley analysts believe that marketing, advertising and branding agency salaries are streamlined and benchmarked against each other. “The five employers of choice in each discipline for example, are closely assimilated which can adversely affect significant movement.”

Late last year, this website had reported that demand for media professionals in the country has increased over the past year but salaries remained competitive in the sector.

“We currently have over a hundred jobs that fall under the media and creative industry. The high number isn't surprising, as media has always attracted top talent across the region. Yet, in the past few years, the industry has seen a massive change in its very nature, thanks to the shift to new types of media like digital and social. Of course, this has led to the creation of completely new roles and jobs that reflect the virtual landscape. Today, our job market space is full of companies seeking to hire ‘community managers’, ‘digital brand managers’, ‘online advertising sales professionals’, ‘social networking officers’, etc.,” Lama Ataya, Chief Marketing Officer, Bayt.com had told this website in the last quarter of 2011.

“While media salaries remain very competitive, marketing budgets in most industries have not yet completely recovered to the pre-crisis spending levels that were witnessed in the UAE,” she added.

Going by Morgan McKinley estimates this is what the salary structure is advertising, media and branding
 

CLICK HERE FOR SALARIES IN ADVERTISING, MEDIA & BRANDING | CREATIVE | MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS | PR

                                                                                      
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