Nine in 10 UAE companies to hire this year – survey

Nearly nine in 10 UAE companies intend to hire in the next year and three quarters will be hiring in the next three months, according to a new survey conducted by YouGov for job site Bayt.com

The findings of the survey, conducted from December 5 to January 28 , reveal new optimism in the UAE job market amid relatively stagnant hiring in some sectors.

Read: UAE non-oil private sector growth hits 34-month high

Bayt said 86 per cent of company respondents planned to hire in the next 12 months and 79 per cent of working respondents said their company had hired new employees in the last 12 months.

Of those hiring in the next three months, 67 per cent said they were looking to fill up to 20 jobs and 14 per cent up to 100 jobs with the remainder unsure.

The greatest demand was deemed for junior executives (43 per cent), managers (36 per cent), coordinators (30 per cent), senior executives (30 per cent) and executives (28 per cent).

While in terms of specific roles, sales executives led with 28 per cent, followed by accountants with 26 per cent, project managers with 20 per cent, sales managers with 19 per cent and directors with 18 per cent.

By company type, small and medium enterprises in the private sector led for hiring potential across the region, with 76 per cent planning to fill roles.

Consumer goods/FMCG took the lead by sector with 81 per cent of firms planning to hire compared to real estate/construction/project development with 80 per cent and hospitality, recreation and entertainment with 78 per cent.

Furthermore, 97 per cent of business consultancy/management firms, 95 per cent of consumer goods/FMCG firms, 94 per cent of hospitality/recreation/entertainment firms, 93 per cent of banking/finance firms and 92 per cent of commerce/retail/trade firms plan to hire over the next 12 months.

Skills in demand

Bayt said the most in demand skills in the UAE this year were being a team player (49 per cent), good communication in Arabic and English (48 per cent), ability to work under pressure (45 per cent) and good leadership (45 per cent).

Business management (29 per cent), commerce (28 per cent) and engineering (23 per cent) were the most sought after qualifications and 40 per cent of firms were looking for people with three-to-seven years of experience compared to 27 per cent looking for seven-to-10 years and 25 per cent looking for 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.

A total of 1,883 respondents in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan,and Pakistan participated in the survey.