UAE’s private-sector employers ready to hire

The government and civil service had the lowest intention to hire during the next three months, according to a poll from Bayt.com and research and consulting group YouGov. Satish Kumar / The National

The jobs market in the UAE’s private sector may be picking up.

Research on Sunday suggested 67 per cent of employers will be looking to hire in the next three months, with most employers looking to hire in the next year, according to a poll from Bayt.com and research and consulting group YouGov.

Private sector companies have the highest intention of hiring with 70 per cent “definitely” or “probably” hiring.

When it comes to hiring by industry in the Mena region over the next three months, organisations in the banking and finance industry showed the highest intention to hire (74 per cent), followed by the hospitality, recreation and entertainment sector (73 per cent) and the telecommunications industry (71 per cent). Conversely, the government and civil service had the lowest intention to hire in the same period (58 per cent).

Over a third of UAE companies hiring in the next three months are looking to fill entry-level positions with, more than 10 per cent looking for mid-career positions with no managerial responsibilities.

“The increase in the hiring expectancy throughout the Mena region is a positive reflection on the economy as a whole,” said Joao Neves, senior research director for YouGov. “By gauging the perceptions when it comes to Mena’s job market, we can deduce that the private sector is expected to offer the most employment options in the next few months and be the driving force of job growth in the region. It is also interesting to note that employers place the greatest emphasis on language skills, particularly English and Arabic.”

The survey was conducted between June 15 and August 16, with a total of 2,001 online interviews from the UAE and 13 other countries in the region.

Meanwhile, Tamleek Real Estate company on Sunday announced it was recruiting another 240 staff bringing its staff roster up to 400 by year end. The job opportunities are available across the company’s sectors in investment advisory, property sale, rent, property developments, property management and mortgages.

“I can see opportunities in hospitality, entertainment and construction related to 2020,” said Tim Fox, chief economist with Emirates NBD. He said the PMI data which tracks new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries and the employment environment had shown resilience and was in positive territory.

“I do think the jobs market will remain challenging, but certain sectors will benefit from government spending and a positive outlook,” he added.

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