Majority of the UAE companies (65 per cent) are expected to create up to 10 new job openings in next three months, of which majority will be offered to new entrants into the workforce, said a survey by leading job site Bayt.com.

Most of these openings will be with large or multinational private companies, presenting exciting opportunities for new graduates and first-time employees in particular, said the latest "Bayt.com Mena Job Index Survey"  conducted in association with YouGov, a research and consulting organisation.

In the next 3 months, 59 per cent of companies across the GCC, North Africa and Levant expect to hire new candidates, with the highest expectancy in the GCC countries.

Most of those hires will be made by private sector companies. In the UAE, 61 per cent of companies claim they will either probably or definitely hire in the coming 3 months. In the next 12 months, 68 per cent of companies in the Mena region anticipate that they will hire; the same is true for 67 per cent of UAE-based companies.

For the most part, 69 per cent of companies who are looking to hire will create up to 10 job openings in the next three months, stated the survey.

This is echoed by companies in the UAE, of whom 65 per cent will hire up to 10 more people in the same time frame. The majority of these jobs in the UAE will be for junior executives (39 per cent), followed by executives (30 per cent) and co-ordinators (29 per cent).

A large number of UAE companies are looking for receptionists (16 per cent), accountants (14 per cent), HR professionals (13 per cent), secretaries (13 per cent), customer service representatives (13 per cent), sales managers (13 per cent) and executive assistants (13 per cent), revealed the survey.

Candidate Qualifications and Skills

The most desirable qualification to have in the Mena region at present is one in Business Management, according to 23 per cent of survey respondents. Commerce (22 per cent), administration (21 per cent), computer science (21 per cent) and engineering (20 per cent) are also popular, satted the survey.

According to Bayt.com, the UAE employers are especially keen on candidates with commerce qualifications (24 per cent). The survey found that good communication skills in Arabic and English are a must for 56 per cent of Mena employers.

They are also a highly desirable qualification in the UAE, second only to the ability to be a team player who is cooperative, helpful and flexible. Good leadership skills are also of top appeal to 47 per cent of UAE employers, it stated.

In terms of experience, UAE employers are looking for candidates with a background in managerial (30 per cent), sales and marketing (30 per cent), and administrative (27 per cent) work, the survey added.  

Recent Hires and Job Attractiveness
Six out of 10 companies across the region claim to have made new hires in the last 6 months, with 43 per cent having taken on new employees in the last 3 months. Two thirds of employers in the UAE (66 per cent) have hired new candidates in the last six months, with 47 per cent having done so in the last 3 months.

Across the Mena region, 41 per cent of jobseekers consider their country to be more attractive, career-wise, than other countries.

This is especially true in the GCC, where six in 10 would prefer to stay in their own country rather than move elsewhere, while in North Africa and the Levant, the majority would prefer to look beyond their own country to find employment, the survey stated.

The UAE residents are particularly keen on the local job prospects, with 71 per cent stating that the nation is more attractive than other countries.

When it comes to industries, the majority across the region (44 per cent) believe that their current industry is preferable to other industries. Just more than half (53 per cent) in the UAE believe that their current industry is more attractive than any other.

In terms of attracting and retaining top talent in the UAE, the construction industry is considered by 41 per cent of surveyed professionals to be the most popular. Tourism and hospitality (38 per cent) and banking and finance (37 per cent) are also perceived as extremely popular with UAE top talent, said the Bayt.com study.

Suhail Al-Masri, the VP of sales, Bayt.com said: "There is a positive trend in the upcoming months in which a number of companies across the region will open up a number of job opportunities. This is particularly seen in the Gulf region."

"Hiring trends will be mostly toward the younger generation who are looking for entry-level positions. At Bayt.com, we are committed to providing employers with top talent at every end of the career spectrum from entry level fresh graduates to middle management and senior executive professionals across the entire industry spectrum and particularly in fields that are hot growth fields across the region,” he added.

YouGov said the GCC countries seem to have the most positive hiring schemes for the next three and 12 months compared to North Africa and the Levant, where the intention to hire is less positive and respondents are keener to move elsewhere for work.

The data for the survey was collected online from December 15 to February 9. The results are reported on a base of 3,137 respondents, of which 2,729 were of working status. Countries that participated uin the survey include the UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.-TradeArabia News Service