The most recent “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” Survey, compiled by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, and YouGov, research and consulting group, revealed that Government/ Civil Service is the most attractive industry in the United Arab Emirates in2017. Just over two thirds (68%) of UAE respondents currently view the government as a “favorable” employer.
Government/ Civil service emerged as the industry that attracts the highest proportion of “local talent,” according to32% of UAE respondents. This was followed by Military/Defense/Police Services (20%) as well as Banking and Finance (18%).
Banking and Finance emerged as the most attractive industry for women, according to25% of UAE respondents. This was followed by Healthcare/ Medical services (24%), and Hospitality/ Entertainment/ Recreation (24%).
Most Attractive Industries
A third of respondents in the UAE (33%) claimed that the Government/ Civil Service industry has the highest job security. Almost one fifth of those surveyed (18%) said that the Military/ Defense/ Police sector (18%) has high job security.
More than a quarter of UAE respondents claim that the Government/ Civil Service industry offers the “best salary packages.” This is followed by the Banking and Finance industry (20%).
In terms of the “best work-life balance,”28% of UAE respondents claim that Government/ Civil Service sector is also the top industry in this regard.
Most Stressful Industries
Banking and Finance and Real Estate and Construction emerged as the most stressful industries for20% and19% of UAE respondents respectively.
Hospitality/ Entertainment tops the list for the longest working hours, according to22% of UAE respondents, followed by Real Estate and Construction (14%) and Healthcare / Medical services (13%).
Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions at Bayt.com, said: “It is eye-opening to find out which industries the region’s professionals favor working in, as it is easy to rely on false impressions. More and more professionals are becoming satisfied with their job attributes, be it training opportunities or compensation or work culture. Yet, many are on the lookout for new and better career opportunities. We encourage all job seekers to make use of our website and access more than12,000 jobs that are available on Bayt.com today.”
Current/ Most recent Industry Satisfaction
When looking at how satisfied UAE respondents are with their current/ most recent salary packages,44% of respondents claimed that they are satisfied with this aspect, inclusive of non-monetary benefits.
Two thirds of UAE respondents are satisfied with their working hours, nearly two thirds (64%) are satisfied with their work culture,58% are satisfied with their work-life balance, and56% are satisfied with their job security.
In terms of training and development,56% of UAE respondents claim to be “completely satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the programs available to them and just over half of respondents in the UAE claim to be satisfied with their career growth.
Switching Industries
Another major finding of the survey is that a quarter of UAE respondents (25%) have changed industries in the last year. Better opportunities for career growth (33%), better salaries (31%), and moving to a new city/ country (23%) are the top three reasons for their change.
Half of those surveyed in the UAE (50%) are considering an industry change in the next few months.54% of them are seeking better career growth opportunities, while51% are seeking a better salary.
Masri adds: “We regularly advice the region’s employers to pay attention to the factors influencing employee attrition and work with us to strengthen their employer brand and their retention efforts. Our aim is to always enrich the region’s job market and empower its professionals by offering the most updated information, such as this survey, and the most powerful tools for job seekers and employers alike.”
“Respondents are evidently keen to find and maintain career opportunities that satisfy their
professional and personal needs,” said Elissavet Vraka, Research Manager, YouGov. “This is why this survey is so insightful; it provides all professionals in the MENA region with more direction, as to which job attributes are valued the most and which fields of work are excelling in providing them.”
Data for the Bayt.com ‘Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey was conducted between February23 and March7,2017 with7,162 respondents from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.