Employers in the Kingdom have highest propensity in the region to recruit in the next quarterJEDDAH: More than half of the region's employers, or 53 percent, plan to recruit over the next few months, job site Bayt.com said in its latest Bayt.com Jobs Index study done in conjunction with research specialists YouGov Siraj. In Saudi Arabia, more than a third of the respondents - 36 percent, the highest in the region, said their organizations would “definitely” be hiring in the next three months, and another 25 percent said they would “probably” be hiring. By contrast, only 4 percent said they would definitely not be hiring in the next quarter. Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the countries recorded varying propensities to hire as part of the Jobs Index (JI). Syria and Oman showed the lowest propensity to hire with just 23 percent of respondents for both countries saying they will definitely hire in the next three months. The 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 five positions: 46 percent said that less than five jobs will be available, and 23 percent said that between six and 10 jobs will be available. “Due to the global recession, regional companies seem to still be maintaining a climate of cost-consciousness and an emphasis on maximizing returns on investment specifically in the HR arena. This, however, has been seen to favor online jobsites such as bayt.com where employers are aware that they can find the region's top talent for key positions in the fastest, easiest, most effective and most cost-efficient manner”, said Amer Zureikat, VP Sales, Bayt.com. Of those that are likely to be employed, graduates or postgraduates in business management stand the best chance. According to the study, 25 percent of organizations around the Middle East favor employing staff that are qualified in this field. Furthermore, graduates or postgraduates in computer sciences and engineering are almost equally sought after by the region's organizations, with 23 percent and 22 percent of respondents citing personnel in these fields as highly desirable. “The traditional business, computer and engineering fields are still the most demanding internationally and in the Middle East. As such, graduates in these fields are likely to find it easier than others to find employment,” said Sundip Chahal, Chief Operating Officer, YouGov Siraj. 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 - 53 percent 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 organizations, with 47 percent agreeing it is the most desirable trait. Being trustworthy and honest was cited as the most desirable trait by 42 percent of the survey's respondents. “The figures suggest that when recruiting, employers will not necessarily choose the candidate with the most relevant experience for the job, rather it seems companies place a big emphasis on skills such as communication and teamwork, and personality traits such as being honest and trustworthy,” Sundip noted. 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, 66 percent of the region's organizations expect to hire, suggesting widespread optimism for the future. Job seekers in the Kingdom are likely to be the luckiest at finding work in a year's time, with 36 percent of the country respondents stating they will “definitely” be hiring in 12 months' time and only 6 percent said they will probably or definitely not be hiring in a year's time. Respondents in Qatar were also highly confident that their organizations will be hiring in the future: 34 percent said they will definitely be hiring after a year, against only 23 percent and 25 percent of respondents in Tunisia and Morocco - the lowest figure among all of the surveyed countries.
