UAE job creation up 23 percent in first quarter

The recently released United Arab Emirates (UAE) Employment Monitor, a year-on-year analysis, revealed 23 percent more jobs were created in the professional hiring market in the UAE since the first quarter of 2014.

This year, 8,213 jobs were created in Q1, compared with 6,653 in Q1 2014.

The report compiled by Morgan McKinley also showed flat market growth, as the professional hiring market showed a 1 percent increase. In Q1 2015, the number of professional jobseekers had jumped 16 percent over the previous year.

“The low oil price has contributed to taken a level of buoyancy out of the market, making both private and governmental organisations slightly reluctant to proceed with any kind of aggressive growth plan,” Trefor Murphy, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at Morgan McKinley, said.

Banking was showed not to be a strong employment option.

“Across banking we’ve seen a reduction in the requirements for risk professionals, but there is heavy demand for compliance and legal professionals,” Murphy said.

There are strong needs in other industries, though.

“Pharmaceutical and the (fast-moving consumer goods) FMCG sectors want to focus on top-line growth, and so many organizations are focused on increasing their Sales & Marketing function while still keeping a close eye on tighter procurement and spending to reduce costs – and so a number of companies are looking for expertise in Six Sigma or lean techniques,” Murphy said.

The UAE Employment Monitor uses data only about professional jobs across sectors where Morgan McKinley operates in the region. Professions studied include banking and financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, logistics and supply, sales and marketing, public relations and corporate communications, and office administration.