JEDDAH – More than half (53 percent) of the region's employers say they will ‘definitely' or ‘probably' hire during the next three months, according to the latest “Bayt.com Middle East Job Index" released Sunday. The research, which was conducted alongside YouGov, also found that 29 percent of employers in the UAE will ‘definitely' be hiring in the next year. The majority of new jobs across the region will come from multinational companies or large firms, the study found. “It is interesting to note that there is a healthy expectancy for the number of available jobs to increase in the coming quarter and in the next 12 months," said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales at Bayt.com, adding: “That most of these will come from multinational companies – 34 percent of which are looking to hire in the next three months, and 35 percent in a year's time – is proof that such establishments provide a significant source of employment in the region. “This suggests that making conditions more favorable for such companies will prove even more beneficial to the Middle East's economic and employment situation," he said. Of those companies that are looking to hire in the Middle East in the next three months, 45 percent will have fewer than five positions available and around 24 percent will have up to 10 jobs available. The region's most desirable graduate or post graduate qualification is in business management, according to 25 percent of the survey's respondents; closely followed by engineering (24 percent), commerce (22 percent) and computer science (21 percent). In Saudi Arabia, around 62 percent of employers will “probably" hire more professionals in the next three months. In the UAE, 44 percent of companies will be hiring for fewer than five jobs, and 22 percent will have up to 10 positions available. Job seekers in the UAE will have the best chance to be hired with qualifications in engineering (27 percent chance), business management (22 percent) or commerce (20 percent) Residents in the UAE are most happy with their current country of residence in comparison to other Middle Eastern countries, as 43 percent find it much more attractive than other areas in the region, followed by residents in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, each with 40 percent, the survey showed. The three most attractive industries to work in in the UAE are banking and finance (34 percent); oil, gas and petrochemicals (32 percent) and telecommunications (27 percent). Saudi Arabia will push private companies to pay Saudi workers as much as their state-employed counterparts with the goal of encouraging more citizens to seek work in the private sector. ?From February Saudi workers who are paid less than the public-sector minimum wage of SR3,000 ($800) a month will not be counted fully in the mandated quota of Saudis a company must employ to avoid tough fines. – SG
