Job seekers wait for their turn to be interviewed at a job fair in Dubai. The oil industry has been experiencing weakness in the job market after commodity prices tumbled globally.
Six out of every 10 working respondents in a survey in the UAE expect their employers to be hiring in the next three months, showing an upbeat outlook for the job market in spite of the slump feared on the back of lower oil revenues.
The results of the Bayt.com and YouGov Survey, a leading job site and research and consulting firm respectively, show that four in 10 respondents are confident that their employers will be definitely hiring.
“The majority of respondents in the UAE said that, in the next three months, they will be mostly hiring sales managers [23 per cent], receptionists [19 per cent], accountants [16 per cent] and civil engineers [16 per cent],” a report on the survey said.
According to working respondents in the UAE, 39 per cent are “definitely hiring” and 21 per cent are “probably hiring” in the next three months while just seven per cent said they are “definitely not hiring” in the same time period.
Focusing on future expectations, 73 per cent of UAE working respondents said their companies would be hiring in a years’ time, with 34 per cent “definitely hiring” and 39 per cent “probably hiring”. On the other hand, three per cent are “definitely not hiring” and 16 per cent “don’t know/can’t tell” their intentions for recruitment in the coming year.
More than half of the working respondents in the UAE (56 per cent) claim that, over the last three months, their company has hired new employees, and 11 per cent say they had new hires in the last six months.
A 2015 survey by recruitment portal Monster.com confirmed the weakness of the job market, particularly in the oil industry.
“Oil and gas is the only sector [in the UAE] where employer hiring activity has plunged from a year-ago level, with the growth rate down by 10 per cent in 2015,” Monster’s report said.
The most desired skill by UAE companies is the ability to work well in a team, with almost half of those surveyed (49 per cent) claiming that their company values candidates who are team players. Good communication skills in Arabic and English, efficiency and productivity and leadership, are also highly valued skills for 46 per cent, 41 per cent and 40 per cent of UAE working respondents respectively. Good communication skills in English only and the ability to work well under pressure both follow at 39 per cent.
As for the most sought-after educational qualifications, graduate/post-graduate degrees in business management, commerce and engineering emerged as the most desired academic qualifications when looking for candidates in the UAE (all at 27 per cent).
Respondents living in the UAE claim that construction (40 per cent), banking/finance (34 per cent), tourism/hospitality (31 per cent), and recreation/entertainment (30 per cent) attract and retain the best talents in the UAE.
On a national level, more than half of respondents (51 per cent) consider the UAE as a more attractive job market when compared to other countries in the Mena region.
Source: KhaleejTimes