At least two-thirds of employers in Qatar are planning to hire this year, latest survey results show. The latest Middle East Job Index Survey, compiled by the Middle East’s leading job site, Bayt.com, and research and consulting group, YouGov, has revealed that many employers are planning to hire soon within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Within the next three months, more than half of Qatari employers (55 percent) said that they are “definitely” or “probably” going to hire. Among Qatari companies that plan to hire within the next three months, over a third (37 percent) are going to hire for “Junior Executive” roles, followed by 28 percent who intend to hire a “Coordinator”, and 24 percent who intend to hire an “Executive” and a “Senior Executive”. Most respondents in Qatar (17 percent) also said they are looking to hire “Civil Engineers” and “Executive Assistants”, while 15 percent said they want to hire other categories of “Engineers”. Some 72 percent of respondents in Qatar claim that their company has hired new employees in the past 12 months.
“Some 51 percent of those planning to hire predict having at least five vacancies to fill in the next three months. There are currently more than 10,000 jobs posted on Bayt.com,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.
In terms of academic qualification, a large number of Qatari employers are looking for “Engineering” Graduates or Post Graduates (37 percent), followed by “Business Management” (25 percent), “Commerce” (15 percent), “Hospitality” (15 percent), and “Administrative” Qualifications (15 percent).
Meanwhile, more than half (54 percent) of employers in Qatar are looking for employees with “good communication skills in both English and Arabic”, 49 percent are looking for “ability to work under pressure”, and 47 percent are looking for “team players / cooperative / helpful / flexible” candidates. In terms of experience, 35 percent of Qatari employers are looking for candidates with “administrative experience”, 32 percent are looking for “mid-level (3 to 7 years) experience”, and another 30 percent are looking for candidates with “managerial experience”.
“When looking at the MENA job market, the private sector has highlighted that they are planning to offer a large number of employment options in the next few months and the year ahead. It is also important to have insights on which skills, academic qualifications, and experience levels are in highest demand. Job seekers can plan accordingly,” said Arleen Gonsalves, Associate Research Manager, YouGov. Data for the Bayt.com Middle East Job Index survey was collected online between December 4,, 2016 and January 22, 2017. Results are based on a sample of 3,107 respondents from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Pakistan.
