A survey conducted by a job site and a market research agency has found that two-thirds, or 66%, of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) employers are planning to hire new employees in 2023.
Bayt.com, a job site in the Middle East, and YouGov, a market research agency, conducted the Middle East Job Index Survey to measure the job availability, hiring trends in the MENA region, the required skills and qualifications needed.
Those workers who topped the employers’ wish list are: Accountants (17%), sales managers (14%) and sales executives (14%) and the next three months will be the recruitment period.
The top skills that employers wanted for a prospective candidate is good communication skills in Arabic and English (62%) followed by a team player (42%), ability to work under pressure (37%), good leadership skills (35%) and being trustworthy/honest (34%).
In terms of experience, 35% of respondents stated that they are looking for candidates with managerial experience, while 29% are searching for those with sales and marketing experience and 26% want candidates with mid-level experience.
Business management (25%), engineering (21%) and commerce (20%) are the most sought-after academic qualifications among employers in the MENA region.
“A large majority of MENA employers are looking to expand their workforce. While professionals need to focus on honing skills in demand such as communication and collaboration, companies need to provide access routes for those who lack skills, take steps to strengthen the capabilities of skilled employees and commit to constant upgrade skilling,” said Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com.
Top talent needed
Fifty per cent of the companies that plan to hire in the next three months will be hiring for a maximum of five jobs, while 20% will be hiring for about 6 to 10 jobs.
Overall, business consultancy/business management/ management consulting (84%) emerged as the top industry claiming to hire the most in the next one year.
This is followed by commerce/trade/ retail (82%) and consumer goods/ FMCG (81%).
MENA on a hiring spree in 2023, says survey
Recruitment in the next three months and the banking industry to absorb national talent (32%) while advertising/marketing/public relations want fresh graduates (32%) or female talent (37%)
