Stable economy to drive 'more jobs' in UAE, says Monster.com

A stable UAE economy is likely to create “more” employment opportunities in 2017, according to employment website, Monster.com.

The company’s statement follows a report issued by London-based Hays Recruiting which says over half of GCC workers were “considering leaving their current employer this year” and 14 percent of UAE employers were “short of the talent required to achieve 2017’s objectives”.

Monster.com also referred to another study by Manpower Group which said “over two thirds of employers were looking to expand workforce in the coming 12 months”.

“With the uncertainty surrounding the new oil production cuts by Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the strengthened US dollar, it appears that UAE businesses are taking a cautious approach to growing their workforce,” Sanjay Modi, managing director, Monster.com, Asia Pacific and Middle East, said.

“However, this is likely to change in 2017 as confidence is restored with more stable market conditions. While online hiring activity in the UAE currently remains very low, the movement of employees and employee talent gaps will create more opportunities but higher competition for job seekers, making it important for job seekers to find ways to stand out,” he added.

In the wider Middle East, online recruitment declined by 44 percent with the hospitality sector falling 66 percent, while information technology and telecom sectors registering growth of 5 percent from November 2015, Monster Employment Index (MEI) for November 2016 revealed.

Purchase/logistics/supply chain occupations registered a growth of 19 percent, while the education sector registered the least decline in online hiring at one percent.  Finance and accounting showed the maximum decline among industries surveyed with a 49 percent fall from the same period last year while banking, financial services and the insurance industry showed the lowest year-on-year growth in online recruitment at 39 percent, the index found.