Over three quarters – 78 percent – of UAE employers are planning to hire in the next three months, and 86 percent are planning to hire in the coming year, according to new research from Bayt.com and YouGov.
According to Bayt.com’s Job Index Survey, seven in 10 working respondents (71 percent) claim that their company hired new employees in the last six months, with 56 percent reporting hiring new employees in the last three months.
Additionally, more than six in 10 UAE employers plan to fill up to 10 different jobs with new hires, while the remaining companies will hire for 11 to 20 jobs (6 percent), 21 to 50 jobs (8 percent) or over 51 jobs (12 percent).
Across the region, 73 percent of employers said they plan to make hires in the next three months, a number which rises to 76 percent among multinational companies and SMEs.
In the UAE, the majority of companies said they will be hiring junior and mid-career positions, with the most requirement being for junior executives (44 percent), followed by managers (35 percent), senior executives (33 percent) and coordinators (33 percent). Of the total, 35 percent of companies said they are looking to hire C-Suite or managing director position.
The roles that UAE respondents are hiring for were topped by sales executive (30 percent), accountant (29 percent) and project manager (23 percent), followed by sales manager (22 percent), marketing or project management directors (20 percent) and finance analyst (20 percent).
Of UAE respondents, 41 percent said they are seeking candidates with mid-level experience of between three and seven years, while four in 10 said they are looking for candidates with sales and marketing experience (38 percent), compared to 34 percent who are searching for candidates with managerial experience and a 25 percent who want IT or computer experience.
Real estate, construction and property development were found to be the industries that attract the top talent in the UAE, followed by advertising, marketing and PR (32 percent), banking and finance (30 percent), engineering and design (26 percent), IT (24 percent) business consultancy (23 percent) and telecommunications (21 percent).
“The results of our latest survey indicate that employment opportunities will most likely increase and many will be geared towards the younger generation who are looking for entry-level positions,” said Suhail Masri, vice president of employer solutions at Bayt.com. “For them to increase their eligibility, young job seekers need to focus on fine-tuning their communication and leadership skills.”
Kerry McLaren, director of data services at YouGov MENA, said that “it is refreshing to note that hiring across the region is on an upward trajectory.”
“Hiring intentions are a measure of the economic wellbeing of the region, and also a reflection of the growing competitive environment that will drive job performance,” she added.
