A recent survey has found that 44% of employed respondents in the UAE are satisfied with the salary package in their current industry, while 47% are satisfied with their ability to maintain a good work-life balance.
The survey, titled “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov has shown that respondents in the UAE consider the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry to be the most preferable for employment. Government careers are also thought of highly and attract more than half of the local talent, while women are predominantly interested in banking and finance.
They are also generally content with the potential for career growth (with 37% being satisfied); job security (46%); working hours (56%); and training and development opportunities (40%). 50% are happy with their current work culture, which shows that UAE work environment is a happy one.
The best salary packages in the UAE are perceived to be in the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry (56%); though government, civil services and utilities careers are also seen to pay well, according to 30%. Government jobs are also seen as being the best for maintaining a good work-life balance (43%), followed by oil, gas and petrochemicals (33%) and banking and finance (24%).
Oil, gas and petrochemicals offers the best potential for career growth according to the majority of respondents (44%), with banking and finance coming second (26%). The highest levels of job security are seen to be in government positions (42%), though there is also a perceived high degree of security in oil, gas and petrochemicals (40%) and military, defense, police and security services (20%).
Respondents believe that the most stressful industries are construction (30%), banking and finance (23%), advertising, media, PR, market research and publishing (16%), and oil, gas and petrochemicals (16%). Construction is also considered to have the longest working hours, by a third of respondents (32%).
Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com, said: “It’s easier than ever before to find jobs in different industries. On Bayt.com we currently have an average of 10,000 vacancies every day across industries, job roles, and career levels. In addition to posted jobs, there is a universe of hidden jobs, where employers fill thousands of unadvertised vacancies using the Bayt.com CV Search leading technology. Besides posting their CVs, Bayt.com professionals can now showcase their skills, merits and interests on the Bayt.com Specialties platform which supports a constant career dialogue and a wealth of opportunity to be recognized by potential employers, clients and peers in the industry. There are over 80,000 specialties on Bayt.com Specialties today growing rapidly due to the popularity and depth of Bayt.com’s unique new value proposition and we see this new realm for career advancement as the new frontier of recruitment and certainly the definition of where the vanguard of the online recruitment business is today.”
Women in the UAE are most attracted to banking and finance according to 34% of respondents, followed by education and academia (34%), and healthcare, medical services and pharmaceuticals (28%). Local talent is seem to be drawn predominantly to government, civil service and utilities jobs (55%), military, defense, police or security services (35%), and oil, gas and petrochemicals (29%).
In the past year, respondents believe that the oil, gas and petrochemicals industry has seen the strongest growth (34%), followed by real estate (22%), and banking and finance (21%).
According to 68% of UAE respondents, the government is a favorable employer.
A fifth of UAE respondents (19%) have changed the industry they work in in the last 24 months, with 57% considering an industry change in the next few years. Oil, gas and petrochemicals is the industry of choice for 22%, though government (12%) and banking and finance (9%) jobs are also popular. The top reasons for career changes are perceived better salaries (71%), career growth opportunities (56%), and better benefits (40%).
Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov, said: “Within the UAE, it is very clear which industry is the most preferable, though interestingly the majority of regional respondents are keen to find employment in the IT, electronics and telecommunications industry rather than in oil, gas and petrochemicals..”
Data for the Bayt.com “Top Industries in the Middle East and North Africa” survey was collected online from November 18-25, 2013, with 7,370 respondents aged 18+, representing Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, KSA, Syria, Tunisia, and the UAE.
