Loyalty or limited options - why more UAE employees aren't changing jobs

High employee turnover costs have always been a concern in any expat driven economy.

If employees aren’t satisfied with their pay packages, benefits and overall career growth, it’s most likely they will jump to the next opportunity when it comes along their way.

This problem becomes more acute if there are plenty of jobs available to choose from, and the employees fall into a category of ones with so-called ‘niche skills’.

However, this trend seems to be changing as an element of loyalty is making employees in the UAE stick around with their employers.

According to a new survey released by recruiting experts Hays UAE, an overwhelming majority of employees in the country (94 per cent) want to stay with an employer for a minimum of three years.

The survey found that, of this 94 per cent who believe in job loyalty, just under half (47 per cent) want to stay with the same employer for 5 years or more, which is remarkable considering the transient nature of the workforce in the UAE.

And just over half (53 per cent) said they want to stay with the same employer for between 3 and 5 years.

The remaining 6 per cent did not seem to cherish job loyalty, and said they’d like to move employers every 1-2 years.

The findings are based on the inputs from more than 1,500 employees.

How should companies repay this loyalty?

With employees now more inclined to remain in the companies they are employed with, experts at Hays believe that employers should do their bit to ensure that this loyalty is rewarded.

“With employees ready and willing to remain loyal, the onus is on employers to look after their staff, since loyalty and continuous skills and career development should be mutually inclusive,” reads the report.

“The survey suggests despite the transient nature of the UAE, stability, security and loyalty are important for employees here,” says Chris Greaves, Managing Director of Hays UAE.

“Given these results, it’s up to employers to ensure they create the environment in which employees can remain. After all, people want to stay with their employer long term, but they also want their careers to continue to develop and thrive,” he says.

“This means employers need to provide all staff with ongoing training and development, regular reviews and promotional opportunities. They also need to deliver what they promised in the recruitment process so that the reality of working at their organisation matches what they promoted when they were attracting top talent,” adds Greaves.

“As long as staff are offered stimulating work and their career continues to advance, most will stay. A lack of career progression is the number one reason people come to us looking for their next job, so we can’t emphasise enough the importance of putting career development plans in place,” he maintains.

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