UAE job market rebounds

The employment market in the UAE has been springing back over the past few months with the economy receiving a strong fillip from the hospitality sector in the wake of the Arab Spring, the results of new key surveys showed. Monster Employment Index Middle East, a monthly barometer of online hiring, jumped 21 per cent on an annual basis in August, but recorded a two per cent drop on monthly basis, underscoring the resilience of the regional economy. Online jobs in the UAE registered a robust annual growth of 16 per cent propelled by advertising, market research, public relations, media and entertainment. Hospitality and travel leads in annual growth among the occupation groups within the UAE. Qatar leads all countries in annual growth. The new Monster report on surging on-line jobs in the UAE is the latest in a string of surveys and researches indicating an upturn in the job market. On Tuesday, the employment website Bayt.com reported that recruitment is booming in the UAE with nearly 15 per cent more jobs being advertised this year so far. The report said there was an 11 per cent rise in the number of positions being advertised in the UAE in the wake of new buoyancy triggered by the Arab Spring. The index, a broad and comprehensive monthly analysis of online job demand by online employment portal , showed that  across the region hospitality continued to lead all industry sectors with 40 per cent annual growth while retail/trade and logistics continued to register strong growth  among occupation groups. Hospitality and travel exhibited strongest growth year-on-year followed by sales and business development; human resources and administrative occupations. The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of online job posting activity in Middle-East based on a real-time review of tens of thousands of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of career Websites and online job listings. The Index does not reflect the trend of any one advertiser or source, but is an aggregate measure of the change in job listings across the industry. “While conditions have improved since 2011, recent activity indicates that employers are being cautious about growing their hiring activity.. However, the major labor intensive sectors, especially within primary industry, exhibit robust annual growth,” said Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com for India, Middle East and South East Asia. Qatar  recorded a growth of  28 per cent followed by Bahrain, up 24 per cent. Saudi Arabia remained the only country that registered a net decline over the past 12 months. Online recruitment activity in the kingdom declined nine per cent from August 2011 level albeit hospitality, up 61 per cent, continues to register the most notable annual growth. Rabea Ataya, the chief executive of Bayt.com said while the UAE itself has seen great growth this year, it was not just the traditional sectors. The UAE has been benefitting from the Arab Spring. “People across the region are looking for a safe haven, a place to go on vacation and to spend whatever consumer dollars they have.” The retail and hospitality industries are hiring aggressively, although there are still relatively few opportunities in the construction, property and finance sectors, Ataya said. Jobs in the construction sector are still at far less than it once was. “The finance sector has also scaled down starting in 2009 and we haven’t seen that sector rebound,” he said. From khaleejtimes