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19 March 2024

Revealed: Jobs most in demand in UAE

Published

More than two-thirds of companies surveyed in the UAE say they will be looking to hire talent in the next three months, according to the result of a new survey published today.

The latest Mena Job Index Survey, conducted by jobs portal Bayt.com and research firm YouGov, reveals that 44 per cent of companies in the UAE are definitely hiring in the coming three months.

Of these, 64 per cent will be looking to hire up to up to 10 people, mostly for junior executive positions, the survey noted.

The survey also outlined the attributes that companies look for in candidates they hire, with good communication skills (Arabic and English) emerging as the most sought-after skills amongst candidates in the UAE. Employers in the UAE are looking for candidates who have good communication skills in Arabic and English (desired by 60 per cent of recruiters), who are team players (50 per cent), have good leadership skills (45 per cent), and good negotiation skills (45 per cent).

As far as qualifications are concerned, given the booming construction sector in the country, it should come as no surprise that the most desirable qualification in the UAE is one in engineering (desired by 31 per cent of recruiters), followed by business management (29 per cent), and commerce (21 per cent).

In addition to the 44 per cent of companies in the UAE definitely hiring in the next three months, another quarter or so (23 per cent) claim they will probably be hiring within the same time period.

In a year’s time, 74 per cent claim they will either ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ be hiring. Also, a fifth (21 per cent) of companies will look to fill up to between 6-10 positions, most of which (36 per cent) will be for junior executive roles.

More specifically, in the next three months, UAE companies will seek sales managers (19 per cent), customer service representatives (15 per cent), human resources professionals (14 per cent), project managers (14 per cent), and executive assistants (14 per cent).

Across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), 62 per cent of companies are definitely or probably hiring in the next 3 months. Private multinationals are most likely to hire, with 41 per cent claiming to be 'definitely' hiring in the next 3 months.

In terms of experience, employers in the UAE like candidates who have the ability to manage a team (40 per cent), who have worked in sales and marketing (37 per cent), or in administration (30 per cent).

One-third (66 per cent) of UAE companies have hired new employees in the last six months, compared to 63 per cent around the Mena region who have done so.

According to 71 per cent of UAE respondents, the UAE is more attractive as a job market than any other country in the region. More than half (54 per cent) in the UAE also consider their current industry to be more attractive as a potential employer than any other business.

UAE respondents believe that the most attractive industries in the country, those that are retaining the top talent, are construction (39 per cent) and banking and finance (39 per cent), followed by oil, gas and petrochemicals (35 per cent).

“Overall, the region’s hiring outlook is looking quite positive for the coming three and 12 months. This will particularly be the case for multinationals, which could provide professional residents a foot in the door for some of the world's largest companies,” said Suhail Al-Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com.

“We can also see an increase in plans to hire in the public sector with 37 per cent definitely hiring in the next three months, compared to 31 per cent in January 2014. The trend continues from past waves with most employers planning to hire people for junior or middle-level executive positions,” he added.

“By monitoring the trends for the most desirable job roles – such as accounts, sales and project managers and HR professionals in the Mena region – jobseekers can hone their talents in these areas to improve their chances of employment. The specific qualifications and skills preferred region-wide and in each country provide an important benchmark for jobseekers to strive for; bilingualism, leadership skills and the ability to work under pressure while being a team player are consistently desirable traits,” said Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov Mena.

Data for the Bayt.com Middle East and North Africa Job Index Survey, July 2014, was collected online from June 10-July 31 2014. Results were reported on a base of 2,279 respondents, of which 2,001 were of working status. Countries that participated are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

(Home page image courtesy Shutterstock)