Media ININ Economy We Trust
September 3
Officials of global recruitment companies and platforms have confirmed that the labor market in the UAE will reflect negative global economic impacts during 2023, restoring 2019 levels of job demand growth, at a rate of up to 20% in specific sectors, according to Bayt.com estimates, and it is expected that The labor market in the UAE will witness further improvement in 2023, as a result of strong confidence in the market and an increase in foreign direct investment, while LinkedIn confirmed that the market in the country has shown high flexibility in the face of fluctuations.
Ali Matar, head of the LinkedIn network in the Middle East, North Africa and emerging markets in Africa and Europe, said: The labor market in the UAE was affected by economic fluctuations like other global markets, which led to a decline in employment rates globally, but the UAE showed high flexibility in Facing these fluctuations.
On rain
LinkedIn data shows that although employment levels slowed by 10.1% during the month of January 2023, compared to the same month last year, this percentage continued to improve significantly to approach the same employment percentage in July compared to July 2022. , with a difference of only 0.4%, and this percentage is the best among the percentages that we monitored in a number of our most important markets in Europe and the Middle East.
LinkedIn data also showed remarkable stability in the number of available jobs. The month of July 2023 witnessed a slight increase of 0.2% in the number of jobs applied for compared to the same month in 2022.
Mattar added that despite the impact of global economic uncertainty on the labor market, the UAE market has shown high flexibility in responding to these changes. Labor market expectations remain positive, and are heading towards growth to levels before the “Covid-19” pandemic.
Construction, education and industry
Regarding the most prominent growth sectors of work, Matar explained that among the most prominent sectors that witnessed growth in the UAE during the past 12 months are: real estate construction, 23.7% annual growth, education, 9.4%, and industry, 8.2%, which is in line with the UAE’s announcement of its strategic goal to grow the economy by 7% by 2030.
Technology sectors
Regarding the sectors expected to drive job demand until the end of 2023, Matar said: The increase in technology sector jobs reflects the scale of digital transformation in the UAE, and the country has also witnessed a growth in jobs available for developers. 3 of the 10 fastest growing jobs were in the field of software development.
Fastest growing
Matar continued: To determine the fastest growing jobs in 2023, economic data researchers at LinkedIn monitored millions of jobs started by network members in the period from January 1, 2018 until July 31, 2022. The data revealed the fastest growing jobs in… The Emirates, starting in 2023, are: a commercial sales representative, a filing clerk, a front-end programmer, a telesales specialist, a real estate agent, a back-end programmer, a data chain developer, an aeronautical mechanical engineer, an immigration consultant, and a customer success manager.
Most notable changes
Referring to the most prominent changes that the labor market witnessed in the Emirates during the first half of 2023 and whether these changes will continue, Matar pointed out that among the most important trends that we are witnessing in the labor market; They are: skills are the currency of the future; Today, we are witnessing a global trend in both the private and government sectors for skills-based employment, in light of the growing realization that the skills of professionals are what enable employers to place the right person in the right place in order to make business strategies successful.
There is currently a race against time; As jobs change at a tremendous speed, artificial intelligence is perhaps the most important example of this. LinkedIn data shows that the skills required for the same jobs have changed globally by 25% since 2015 in the UAE, and by 27%, and this number is expected to double by 2027.
The second most prominent change is: the dominance of soft skills in the jobs of new graduates. Soft skills, such as analytical skills, negotiation, and time management, are still the top skills required of new graduates looking for jobs in various fields, especially sales, media, and real estate. It is interesting that the Arabic language is ranked among the top 5 required skills. It was mentioned in 24,000 jobs for new graduates in the Emirates between January 2022 and March 2023.
The third change in the superiority of flexible jobs focused on remote jobs. As the percentage of remote jobs continues to decline, we are witnessing a trend of companies offering flexible jobs (hybrid jobs), that is, those that include a combination of work from the office and remote work. Flexible job advertisements have witnessed a rapid increase since late 2021, and their average growth in April reached 38% in the UAE compared to the same period of the previous year.
As for workers in the Emirates, they said in a survey conducted by LinkedIn 2022 that the main factors that influence their career decisions today are compensation and benefits, followed by opportunities for career growth and work-life balance. Job security and supportive management are also among the fastest growing priorities for employees.
Noticeable growth
For his part, Rabie Ataya, founder and CEO of Bayt.com, said: In the first quarter of 2023, the labor market in the Emirates showed remarkable growth, contrary to the global trend, especially in main offices. There has been a notable 20% increase in job openings across specific sectors. Last year’s global uncertainties have naturally impacted the employment sector, however, based on the continued increase, this growth is expected to continue throughout 2023.
Rabie Ataya
Ataya added, it is expected that the labor market will witness…
