Graduates with little to no work experience can find jobs in the UAE with a starting salary of up to Dh25,000 a month, depending on their area of expertise.
While companies around the world, including the UAE, have been forced to downsize or cut salaries during the Covid-19 pandemic, some sectors have emerged reasonably unscathed and others have managed to grow over the past 11 months.
Recruiters have encouraged jobseekers to upskill or have adaptable skills to secure jobs in this challenging, but slowly recovering, market.
“The post pandemic job market in the UAE seems to be trending up, with employers increasingly seeking specialists over generalists,” said Karuna Agarwal, director of Future Tense HR – a human resources firm based in Dubai with more than 100 clients.
“Due to the turmoil and redundancies caused by Covid-19, both employers and employees have acknowledged the need for adapting to the new skills and technology.
“The pandemic gave a harsh push to move ahead on the digital curve, to sustain in the evolving and dynamic business environment. For job seekers, the realisation was evident that while traditional skills allow one to knock on the employer's door, the new age and advanced skills provide an access card to open those doors.”
Ms Agarwal said a jobseeker's ability to shine above the rest in a crowded marketplace now relies heavily on having “unique skills”. This could be a completely new skill or one that includes a tech-savvy way of carrying out tasks.
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Top 7 UAE jobs offering best starting salaries:
- Artificial Intelligence – entry level, Dh15,000/midlevel, Dh20,000
- Data Scientist – entry level, Dh15,000/midlevel, Dh25,000
- User interface design or user interface engineering – entry level, Dh10,000/midlevel, Dh20,000
- Digital marketing – entry level, Dh8,000/midlevel, Dh17,000
- Supply chain analyst – entry level, Dh7,000/midlevel, Dh18,000
- Space scientist/researcher – entry level, Dh10,000/midlevel Dh20,000
- Blockchain specialist – entry level, Dh14,000/midlevel, Dh23,000
(List is compiled based off data from Dubai-based Future Tense HR)
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Ms Agarwal said starting salaries would depend on the size of the organisation, skill set of the jobseeker, education level and knowledge of the local market.
On Tuesday, online employment service platform LinkedIn said hiring in the UAE was improving but had not yet seen consistent growth.
It said demand for digital skills remained strong, with more than 150 million jobs expected in the global technology sector globally in the next five years.
“Over the past three months we have seen an improvement in the UAE hiring rate, although it is unclear whether this will offset the potential global economic impact of a second wave of infections facing many countries,” said Ali Matar, head of LinkedIn Europe, Middle East and Africa Emerging Market.
“Focusing on transferable skills can help open a variety of roles that people may not have previously considered. Skills can be applied to different jobs or industries, creating new employment opportunities.
“Likewise, investing time in developing new skills, being proactive in your job search and engaging your professional network is key to finding a new job quickly.”
Top 10 in-demand jobs, according to LinkedIn
- Software developer
- Sales representative
- Project manager
- IT administrator
- Customer service specialist
- Digital marketer
- IT support/help desk
- Data analyst
- Financial analyst
- Graphic designer
