88% Of MENA Professionals Plan To Make More Time For Job Hunting During Ramadan

Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, has just released its annual ‘Ramadan in the MENA’poll. The majority of respondents (89%) claim to have more positive and optimistic feelings about their career during Ramadan, whereas 88% believe that the holy month lifts overall morale at work.

Furthermore, almost 9 in 10 job seekers (88%) plan to make more time for finding a job during Ramadan. This correlates with the finding that 69% of respondents believe that hiring activity increases during Ramadan,14% say it decreases whilst 11% believe it remains the same.

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: “Ramadan is the month of fasting and charitable giving with a focus on less fortunate communities. For MENA professionals, it is also a time to contribute meaningfully, focusing on the celebration and wellbeing of their families and communities. Our annual survey highlights that many professionals find Ramadan a better time to work on their careers, as they feel more focused and productive. As the region’s largest job site, we ensure that we support all job seekers with their professional goals during the Holy Month.”

Productivity during Ramadan

Most MENA companies make special adjustments during the Holy Month of Ramadan. These include offering flexible working arrangements/shorter hours (54%), maintaining health and safety at work (14%), giving more rest breaks throughout the day (2%), and tolerating lower productivity/leniency with deadlines (1%). In fact, 87% of respondents say that their direct managers accommodate their religious/spiritual needs during Ramadan. Thanks to these special measures, 85% of respondents are satisfied with their employer’s flexibility during Ramadan.

Although 65% of MENA respondents agree that their workload increases during the Holy Month, this is likely due to the fact that working hours decrease as stated by 54% of respondents,21% of respondents said their workload stays the same during Ramadan, while 14% of respondents said it decreases.

Despite changes in workload, 40% of professionals agree that they feel more productive during Ramadan,49% of respondents said their productivity doesn’t change, and only 11% said they become less productive.

Responses are fairly evenly split when it comes to taking time off from work during Ramadan. 40% of respondents say that they take more vacation days during Ramadan, while 52% claim the opposite is true.

A Month for Reflection and Growth

As professionals across the region prepare for Ramadan, the month of worship, sacrifice and charity, they anticipate changes in their daily routines. A majority of respondents said that they commit more pious acts (68%), more focus on career goals (9%), more charitable activities and good deeds (9%), and more time with the family (6%). In addition, 65% of respondents agree that their company increases charitable activities during the Holy Month.

Data for the ‘Ramadan in the MENA’poll was collected online from February15, 2021 to April 12, 2021. Results are based on a sample of 5,445 respondents from countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan among others.