Hot jobs: Professions to look out for in 2011

The job market today is changing faster than you can say ‘computer operator’. A host of jobs have become obsolete or have been outsourced already, and there are plenty that will be obsolete in another few years.

Pundits who predict the death of the newspaper in its current form in a matter of years – not decades – perhaps reckon that, with it will be lost the job of a newspaper publisher.

At the same time, who could have predicted in the boom years that ‘chief restructuring officer’ would be such a sought-after position in 2010?

Nevertheless, no kind of job ever seems to remain the same long, and positions are being outsourced with such persistent regularity that you never know what will survive the onslaught. Blink and your job is outsourced, or just made obsolete by office automation.

What people need is not merely a job that promises them a good pay today, but something that offers the promise of being a stepping stone to something better and bigger in the future.

What people need today is a promise of career advancement.

One obvious sector that is bound to offer a wider variety of tomorrow’s hot jobs is technology. With its ever expanding role, it is safe to assume that tech jobs will remain in demand for the foreseeable future and perhaps beyond it.

But what if one isn’t a geek?

As the economy improves in the UAE and growth engine changes gears, it’s time to look at some of the jobs that are expected to get white-hot in the next five years, with above average salaries and the potential to ensure more employee growth than others.

We asked compensation and human resources experts in the UAE to outline tomorrow’s hottest jobs for our readers.

“In general, the most sought-after professions will be in specialised positions or very senior ones in the financial services sector (mostly towards investment and not the traditional banking sector), in the industrial sector (combined with environmental technologies or specialised constructions), in technology and in healthcare,” Konstantina Sakellariou, Partner, Marketing & Operations Director at Stanton Chase, told Emirates 24|7.

“There will be a need for strong regional heads, most likely based in Dubai, who will manage this diverse multicultural region,” adds Michael Al-Nassir, Partner and Head of Middle East, Africa and India at Pedersen & Partners, as he looks into the crystal-ball.

“Professions that require a high level of expertise (like investment bankers, specialised people in the technology sector, specialised executives in the industrial sector, for instance in green businesses or water management etc.) are scarce and so better paid. If these positions need to be given to an Emirati, this Emirati will again be very highly paid, combining nationality and the expertise,” says Sakellariou.

According to Al-Nassir, “by 2015, we can expect that the Gulf region and the Middle East overall, will have grown substantially in size and importance. Existing markets will develop in size, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and some of the smaller Gulf states. Also, new and even larger markets such as Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan can, subject to some major positive political developments, become mainstream.”

Al-Nassir believes that with such growth, demand for senior jobs will definitely be  on the rise. “As the Middle East region’s importance on multinational companies’ balance sheets increases, so will the importance of having strong headquarters to run this region from. It is likely that the UAE will remain the hub for the region, as multinationals continue to appreciate the ease of doing business here.

He reckons that growth will further fuel the demand for senior managers with local experience. “Regional CFOs, regional CCOs, Regional HR Directors will all be key to running a successful Middle East business,” he told Emirates 24|7.

“For such roles, the executive talent requirements are even more demanding than for senior single-country roles. Regional heads have to have the cultural flexibility, willingness to constantly travel, and a strong ability to multitask in order to be able to handle such responsibility. They will need to be strong ‘virtual’ leaders, as they will increasing manage their direct reports remotely, and flexible in prioritising and reacting rapidly to changing demands,” he added.

Commenting on the most well-paid future jobs in the country, Stanton Chase's Sakellariou says: “The trends in the salaries will be determined by the overall development of the national economy. Two years ago, we would make different predictions for the construction industry than now, so it is not accurate to have predictions in such a volatile environment,” she added.

Elaborating on the short-term trends, Amer Zureikat, VP Sales of Bayt.com, lists the jobs that are most likely to see hiring and so should be the ones that need to be looked-out for by candidates.

“In the UAE, employers surveyed in [our] latest Middle East Job Index Survey have stated that the positions they are most likely to recruit for in the coming quarter are: junior executives at 40 per cent of votes (marketing, project, client service, sales, IT, finance, HR, operations etc.), executives at 36 per cent of votes (marketing, project, client service, sales, IT, finance, HR, operations etc.), Managers at 30 per cent of votes (marketing, project, client service, IT, sales, finance, HR, operations etc.). As per [our] 2010 salary survey, the industries that seem to be paying the most locally continue to be banking & finance, construction [and] business consultancy,” he told this website.

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