More than half of the employers in Saudi Arabia plan to recruit over the next few months, according to the new Jobs Index study conducted by the region's number one job site Bayt.com, in conjunction with research specialists YouGov Siraj. A third of the respondents (33%) said that their organizations would definitely be hiring in the next three months – the highest figure among the surveyed countries – and another 29% said they would probably be hiring. By contrast, just 12% said they probably or definitely would not be hiring in the next quarter. Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region 56% employers plan to recruit over the next few months, according to the study. The huge number of employers planning to recruit shows an improvement on the last wave, when 52% said they planned to hire during the quarter. Respondents in Kuwait and Oman also had a high propensity to hire following from Saudi Arabia: 29% of those surveyed in each country said that their organizations will definitely be recruiting new staff in the coming months. The study also found that 26% of respondents in Qatar and 24% in the UAE will definitely hire in the next three months. At the other end of the spectrum, just 19% of respondents in Jordan said they will definitely be hiring in the next three months, while 22% in Egypt believe that their organisations will definitely be looking for new staff in the next quarter. Overall, the figures indicate that the Gulf region is faring the best during the current economic cycle. The Jobs Index (JI) is conducted to gauge perceptions of job availability and hiring, to identify job trends and to provide an understanding of the key skill sets and qualifications required in the Middle East job market. The survey asked the respondents how many positions their organizations would be aiming to fill in the next three months. For the most part, organizations are looking to recruit staff for less than 10 positions: 44% said that less than five jobs will be available, and 22% said that between six and 10 jobs will be available. Interestingly, 3% of respondents said that they will be looking to fill more than one hundred vacancies in the coming quarter. “During the recession, a number of the region's professionals lost their jobs as organisations cut their human resources budgets in a bid to save money and ride out the recession,” noted Rabea Ataya, chief executive officer, Bayt.com. “Now, as the region recovers from the recession, one of the first things that companies look at sourcing is the right talent to fit their new business needs.” Asked at what level they are looking to recruit in the coming three months, the survey found that junior executives are the most likely to find themselves with a job offer: 30% of organisations said that they would be looking to employ junior executives, followed by 26% that said they would be looking to hire on an executive level. As in the previous wave, and unsurprisingly given the level of experience and knowledge required, limited C-suite jobs are going to be on offer: 4% of the respondents said they would be seeking to appoint a new president, 6% said they plan to appoint a CEO, and another 6% said they would advertise vacancies for a COO, CFO or CMO. Of those that are likely to be employed, graduates or postgraduates in business management stand the best chance. According to the study, 24% of organizations around the Middle East favour employing staff that are qualified in this field. Furthermore, graduates or postgraduates in commerce, engineering and administration are equally sought after by the region's organisations, with 22% of respondents citing personnel in these fields as highly desirable. Less attractive to organisations in the region were those with qualifications in interior or fashion design, and in flight training: just 3% and 2% of organisations, respectively, agreed that these are important qualifications that new staff should possess. “Clearly, the Middle East, and more specifically the Gulf, is growing as a global finance and commerce hub, and as such, graduates in these fields are likely to find it easier than others to find employment,” said Joanna Longworth, chief marketing officer, YouGov Siraj. “The figures also indicate what types of industries dominate in this region, and it is clearly those concerned with business and trade.” Being able to communicate in both English and Arabic is a desirable trait that employers look for when selecting new staff according to the study – 64% of respondents agreed this is what they look for most in a potential new employee. Being a cooperative, flexible, and helpful team player is also a clear skill priority among the region's organisations, with 48% agreeing it is the most desirable trait. Having an overall good personality and demeanour was cited as the most desirable trait by 44% of the survey's respondents. “The figures suggest that when recruiting, employers will not immediately choose the most qualified candidate; rather, the region's organisations place much more emphasis on key skills such as communication and teamwork, and personality traits such as having a pleasant demeanour,” noted Longworth. The JI is in part gauged by asking the respondents what their hiring expectancy is in a year's time; this forms the Hiring Expectancy Index (HEI). In the long term, 69% of the region's organisations expect to hire, suggesting widespread optimism for the future. Job seekers in Saudi Arabia, followed by Oman, are likely to be the luckiest at finding work in a year's time, with 40% and 35% of the countries' respondents, respectively, stating they will definitely be hiring in 12 months' time. By contrast, just 7% of respondents in Saudi Arabia said that they probably or definitely will not be hiring in a year's time. Respondents in Tunisia were also highly confident that their organisations will be hiring in the future: 33% said they will definitely be hiring after a year; while 32% each in Kuwait, Morocco and Lebanon said they will definitely be hiring in a year's time. This is contrasted with just 23% of respondents in Jordan – the lowest figure among all of the surveyed countries. When asked how they rate their current country of residence as a job market compared to those around the rest of the region, respondents in the UAE, joined with Saudi Arabia, were the most positive about their country: 46% each said it was much more attractive than other countries. Positivity about current country of residence was also felt in Qatar (38%) and Kuwait (30%). The respondents were also asked to name which industries they feel are attracting or retaining top talent in their country of residence today. As in the previous wave, the banking and finance (37%) and telecommunications (37%) sectors took the top spots in terms of those that attract the region's top employees. “The studies that Bayt.com conducts alongside YouGov Siraj aim to provide the region's organisations and HR professionals with regularly updated research that sheds light on various elements of the region's job market. The Jobs Index has been designed to chart how the region's job market changes from quarter to quarter, which will allow the region's employers and other industry stakeholders to benefit from up to date job market information, which can be used for affecting positive organisational change,” concluded Ataya.
