Companies in Saudi Arabia are more eager to hire staff in the next three months than other countries in the Middle East, a recent survey showed.
Companies in the MENA region are positive about their economic forecasts and continue to remain optimistic about hiring prospects for the next quarter.
The survey stated that 65 percent of KSA companies are looking to hire staff, making it the highest hiring rate across the region. Meanwhile, Morocco had the lowest hiring expectancy in the region, with only 17 percent of companies certain about hiring over the next three months.
“In Saudi Arabia, many companies in the private sector have lost a large number of their employees in the past months due to the correction of statuses and the Saudization process. This leads to the high hiring expectancy,” said Malik Abdullah Saad, a senior HR consultant.
Saad said most multinational companies prefer to hire expats over Saudi nationals and that jobs offered to Saudi nationals are usually for low-paying positions such as sales representatives and secretaries.
The survey, conducted by bayt.com, a leading jobsite in the Middle East, and YouGov, a research and consulting organization, reveals that 30 percent of companies are convinced that they need to hire additional employees over the next three months. A further 25 percent of companies also consider hiring to meet business requirements.
Although statistics and surveys show that local companies have high hiring rates, the majority of Saudis are still not optimistic about finding jobs in the market.
Many Saudis think that expatriate and foreign workers have taken over the job market and will continue to secure high-paying positions. At the same time, expatriates worry about not being able to find work due to the Kingdom’s Saudization policy and new labor laws.
Saleh Abdulrahman, a Saudi businessman, said that even though the country has a large job market, various factors still make it difficult for Saudis to find work.
“I don't feel positive about the survey that says that more job opportunities will be available in the Kingdom,” said Abdulrahman. “Even with the many job vacancies, there are also other factors that make it hard for Saudi youth to find work despite the Saudization process.”
Job creation is most likely to be led by big local companies, multinationals and small to medium-sized enterprises operating in the private sector. Most of the companies are eager to employ subordinates and executives, showing encouraging signals for fresh graduates and other candidates in the early stages of their career.
“The fact that there are many jobs coming from small to medium-sized local companies is a good sign of booming local economies in the Middle East. It signals that smaller entrepreneurial ventures are more comfortable hiring than they were at the beginning of the year,” says Suhail Masri, vice president of Sales at Bayt.com.
According to the survey, the banking and finance, construction and telecommunications sectors are the most attractive industries in the MENA region.
Job opportunities in the private sector reveal the strong financial performance of GCC countries and must be part of the solution to the growing unemployment crisis in the Middle East.
65% of KSA firms eager to hire new staff in next 3 months
