Two in five UAE firms 'definitely hiring' in next 3 months: Survey

Two out of five employers in the UAE said they will be hiring in the next three months, according to the latest Bayt.com and YouGov survey.

Nearly 69 per cent of those surveyed in the UAE believe that their country of residence is more attractive as a job market in comparison to other Mena countries.

Moreover, 46 per cent of working respondents in the UAE rate their industry as being more attractive as a potential employer in comparison to other industries.

Hiring expectations

Approximately 66 per cent of UAE employers will be hiring in the next 3 months, with 43 per cent definitely hiring and 23 per cent probably hiring.

According to them, only 3 per cent of UAE companies are definitely not hiring. Moreover, in a year's time, 31 per cent of UAE current employers state that their companies will definitely be hiring, and 41 per cent will probably be hiring.

Around 75 per cent of those looking to hire candidates in the UAE will be opening up to 10 new positions to potential employees in the next 3 months.

The majority of these jobs will be for junior executives (45 per cent) and executives (40 per cent). Only a minority are seeking top-level candidates.

Roles and experience

When looking at specific roles in the UAE, according to working respondents, the most popular candidate positions will be for human resource professionals and executive assistants, both at 21 per cent, followed by sales managers (17 per cent), accountants (15 per cent) and receptionists (14 per cent).

Around 37 per cent of UAE working respondents said that their company is generally seeking candidates with mid-level experience, while almost one third of them said they are looking for candidates with managerial skills.

Moreover, 31 per cent are ideally looking for candidates with administrative skills, experience in sales and marketing (27 per cent) and computer skills (25 per cent).

Candidate qualifications and skills

A graduate/post graduate degree in Business Management (35 per cent) is the most sought-after academic qualification when looking for candidates in the UAE. This is followed by a degree in Commerce (25 per cent) and Engineering (24 per cent).

Half of UAE working respondents mentioned their company values candidates who are team players. Good communications skills in Arabic and English (49 per cent) and good leadership skills (47 per cent) are also highly esteemed.

Industries attracting top talent

When asked which industry is attracting top talent in the UAE, 42 per cent of respondents replied the banking and finance industry, followed by oil, gas and petrochemicals (36 per cent) and construction (34 per cent).

Almost 8 out of 10 UAE respondents work in the private sector, with 32 per cent of them working for a multinational company. The most popular industries among UAE respondents are construction (12 per cent), banking and finance (7 per cent) and oil, gas and petrochemicals (7 per cent).

Nearly 21 per cent of current employees in the UAE hold executive roles with no managerial responsibilities, while 20 per cent are junior managers or team leaders and 17 per cent are in middle management.

Data for the survey was collected online between May 28 and July 14, 2015, with a total of 807 online interviews conducted with respondents from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Pakistan.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.