UAE Leads Regional Online Recruitment Growth At 42 Percent In Q1 2019

According to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI), the UAE registered 42 percent growth in online job postings in Q1 2019 compared to the same period last year, representing the highest growth in the region.

The growth in online recruitment across the UAE comes amid strong pushes for Emiratization from both the public and private sector. In 2018, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation created 20,225 jobs for Emirati citizens compared to 6,862 the previous year, in line with the National Employment Agenda and Emiratization Acceleration programs. Several organizations in the private sector have also played a pivotal role in Emiratization efforts by organizing career fairs aimed at UAE nationals and offering exclusive career development programs.

Commenting on the most recent MEI results, Abhijeet Mukherjee, Chief Executive Officer, Monster.com, APAC & Middle East, said: “The UAE has had a strong start to the year with remarkable growth in the overall number of online job postings. This growth is a direct result of the efforts to position the UAE as a global business hub and integrate more UAE citizens in the workforce. The government has put in place plans to make the private sector more appealing for national talent, including the consolidation of public sector and private sector holidays, and with recently announced plans to create 30,000 more jobs for Emiratis in the private sector this year, the recruitment market will be further stimulated. Such initiatives are a great way to ensure sustainable growth in the economy which is a key objective for the UAE. With these developments, there are exciting times ahead, especially for local talent in the UAE private sector.”   

In addition to Emiratization initiatives, the UAE has been an active business hub for entrepreneurs and international investors throughout the first quarter of the year. The Business Registration and Licensing section at the Department of Economic Development revealed that 2,459 new licenses were issued in March alone, compared to 1,816 licenses issued in March 2018. These new licenses created an additional 9,661 jobs in the UAE.

From the industries monitored in the MEI, the Education industry recorded the highest growth with 21 percent increase in online recruitment within the sector from Q1 2018, in line with continued efforts to build a knowledge-based economy. This was followed by the Production (including manufacturing, automotive and ancillary) industry at 15 percent growth. The most sought-after occupations in the online space in the UAE were those in HR and Administration at 38 percent growth, closely followed by Finance and Accounting at 36 percent from the same period last year.

The UAE led regional growth among the countries monitored by the MEI, followed by KSA at 17 percent and Bahrain at 12 percent. Oman was the only nation to show slight regression in online hiring at 3 percent decline from Q1 2018. Across the region, the IT and Telecom industry led growth at 23 percent from the same period last year, followed by Hospitality at 19 percent growth. Roles in Finance and Accounting led occupational growth in the region at an astonishing 65 percent increase from Q1 2018, followed by HR and Administration at 41 percent.