Economic Downturn Reduces Recruitment Activity in the Gulf - Study
Investment, Administration and Marketing professionals have been the hardest hit.
Infrastructure-related disciplines and Audit professionals see increased demand.
Dubai, UAE (PRWEB) July 12, 2009 -- The economic downturn has slowed recruitment activity in the GCC
region significantly, with Dubai in particular seeing a fall in the number of vacancies advertised, though still
retaining a sizeable share.
More discreet and confidential recruitment methods and a shift to lower cost recruitment channels are also among
the main trends highlighted in research carried out by Middle East online recruitment firm, GulfTalent.com.
The research shows that the percentage of Dubai-based vacancies advertised on the firm's website constituted
only 30% of all GCC-based positions advertised in the first half of the year, compared with 43% over the same
period in the previous year. Kuwait and Bahrain have also been badly hit.
In contrast, Abu Dhabi has seen its percentage share of job vacancies increase from 14% to 23%, while Qatar and
Saudi Arabia have also seen similar increases in their share of vacancies.
The UAE overall has seen an increase in the outflow of expatriates, with 26% of all job applications submitted by
UAE residents targeting vacancies in other Gulf countries, compared to just 16% the previous year. Despite the
increase, the outward mobility of UAE-based expats remains the lowest in the region, with the majority preferring
to remain in the country.
Winners and Losers
Across the region, the fall in demand has been most acute in investment, administration and marketing functions.
According to GulfTalent.com's findings, demand for investment professionals, including private equity and
portfolio management, fell by 48% in the first half of the year against the same period last year. For
administration skills, demand fell by 47% while the demand for marketing skills slid by 46%.
But not all roles are suffering from a collapse i