Bayt.com Job Index found that the skills most sought by companies hiring in the UAE are good communication in Arabic and English, being a team player, and ability to work under pressure

Dubai, UAE, 19  February 2018:   There is a positive outlook for the job market in the UAE, according to the Bayt.com Middle East Job Index Survey, which revealed that a large majority (86%) of UAE companies intend to hire new people in the next year, and three quarters (75%) saying they will be hiring in the next three months. What’s more, nearly four in five (79%) working respondents in the UAE claim that their company has hired new employees in the last 12 months. 

The Bayt.com Job Index, released bi-annually and conducted by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, and global online market research company, YouGov, is an in-depth study that tracks job availability and hiring trends in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market and provides an understanding of the required skills and qualifications in the region.

Jobs in the Next Three Months

For UAE companies looking to hire in the next three months, two thirds (67%) say they will be hiring for ‘up to 20 jobs’, while 14% say they will be hiring for ‘up to 100 jobs’, and the remainder are unsure how many jobs they will be hiring for in the short term.

In the UAE, the greatest demand in the coming three months will be for ‘junior executives’ (43%), ‘managers’ (36%), ‘coordinators’ (30%), ‘senior executives’ (30%), and ‘executives’ (28%). Regarding the specific roles UAE companies are looking to fill in the next three months, the most common positions are ‘sales executives’ (28%), ‘accountants’ (26%), ‘project managers’ (20%), ‘sales managers’ (19%), and ‘directors’ (18%).

Across the region, ‘small/medium local companies’ in the private sector took the leading spot in terms of hiring potential, where 76% of them said they will be hiring. Meanwhile, industries that are most likely to hire are: ‘Consumer Goods/FMCG’ (81% are planning to hire), ‘Real Estate/Construction/Property Development’ (80%), and ‘Hospitality/Recreation/Entertainment’ (78%).
Jobs in the Next 12 Months

Regionally, ‘small/ medium local companies’ as well as ‘multinational companies’ seem to have the highest hiring potential in the long term, where 89% of them said they will be hiring in the next year. In regard to specific industries that have the strongest hiring plans for the next 12 months, ‘Business Consultancy/ Business Management’ (97% are planning to hire), ‘Consumer Goods/ FMCG’ (95% are planning to hire), ‘Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment’ (94% are planning to hire), ‘Banking/ Finance’ (93% are planning to hire), and ‘Commerce/ Retail/ Trade’ (92% are planning to hire) were the top five.

What’s in Demand: Skills, Job Roles, and Academic Qualifications

In terms of candidates’ skills that are in demand in the UAE this year, being a ‘team player/cooperative/helpful/flexible’ emerged as the top skill to look for in a candidate by 49% of employers. 48% of employers say good ‘communication skills in Arabic and English’ is a top skill. These were followed by ‘ability to work under pressure’ (45%) and ‘good leadership skills’ (45%). 

Regarding educational and academic qualifications, ‘business management’ (29%), ‘commerce’ (28%), and ‘engineering (23%) emerged as the most sought-after qualifications amongst UAE employers.

For UAE employers looking to hire, four in ten (40%) say they are looking for ‘mid-level experience between three and seven years’, more than a third (36%) are seeking experience in ‘sales and marketing’, and another third (32%) are seeking ‘managerial’ experience. Meanwhile, just over a quarter (27%) of UAE employers are looking for candidates with ‘senior level experience between 7 and 10 years’, with another quarter (25%) looking for candidates with ‘junior level experience of less than three years’.

“Perceptions of the job market in the Middle East and North Africa are more positive for 2018, with employers predicting improvements in hiring potential in the immediate future,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com. “At Bayt.com, we are really excited to work with tens of thousands of employers to help them recruit their top talent of choice. We are constantly improving our recruitment tools and getting feedback from clients to make it easier than ever before to hire for the skills they need. In fact, we just launched the Bayt.com Small Business Plan, which provides our recruitment suite to employers with budget constraints. Now, and as we look at the survey findings, we are delighted to see these hiring trends moving in an upward direction and we are looking forward to work with even more companies, organizations, and governments to facilitate hiring activities in the short as well as the long term.”

As for the most appealing industries in their country, UAE respondents believe the industries attracting and retaining ‘top talent’ are ‘Real Estate, Construction, and Property Management’ (31%) and ‘Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations’ (30%). 

‘Banking and Finance’ (34%) is believed to be the main industry attracting and retaining ‘national talent’ and ‘fresh graduates’. Meanwhile, ‘Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations’ (45%) is believed to be the main industry attracting ‘top female talent’.

“The Middle East Job Index is a very critical indicator that shows the region’s hiring activities. With an upward trend this year, the number of job openings in the UAE is forecasted to grow. It is also worth noting that with so many local SME’s planning to hire this year, growth of this vital sector seems to be a priority in 2018,” said Nehal Jibouri, Head of Custom Research, YouGov. 
 
Data for the February 2018 Middle East Job Index Survey was collected online from 5th December 2017 to 28th January 2018. Results are based on a sample of 1,883 respondents, 1,641 of whom were of working status, from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and Pakistan.