One important aspect of the job search journey as well as the hiring process is understanding the job market and being aware of the hiring trends and the most sought after skills. Are employers in the Middle East going to hire in the coming three months? How about this coming year? Which industries are planning to hire new employees? Are they looking for entry-level professionals, mid-level professionals, or experts? What job roles are they trying to fill?

Employers in the MENA region have revealed their intentions of hiring and what they’re looking for in their potential candidates in terms of skills, levels of experience and fields of expertise. Let’s see what their plans are for the coming year.

Key findings:

• Most MENA employers demand good communication in English and Arabic (63%).
• Multinational companies (70%) show the highest intention of hiring by sector in the next year.
• (58%) of respondents claim that their company has hired new employees in the last six months.
• Advertising/ Marketing/ Public Relations (83%), Consumer Goods/ FMCG (77%) and Hospitality/ Recreation/ Entertainment (71%) industries demonstrated the highest intention of hiring in the next one year.
• The majority of MENA companies will be hiring junior (39%) and mid-career positions (26%).

Data for the Middle East Job Index Survey was collected online from 14th December 2019 and 28th January 2020. Results are based on a sample of 1,097 respondents, 879 of whom were of working status, from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, and Pakistan.

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