Oil and gas sector jobs are most preferred by Saudi job seekers

The majority of Saudis prefer to work in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries, according to a recent poll conducted by a leading job site in the Middle East. The poll, conducted by bayt.com, also revealed that healthcare, medical services, pharmaceuticals and education are seen to be the most attractive industries for the female workforce.
The oil, gas, petrochemical and energy sectors are seen as the best industries for maintaining a work-life balance and offer the best career growth opportunities, according to two-fifths of poll respondents.
The poll showed that the oil, gas, petrochemical and energy sectors and the government, civil service and utilities sectors were seen to be attracting the most local talent, with respondents saying that the former has recorded the strongest growth in the past year. The survey also showed that the Kingdom had the highest hiring expectancy over the next three months, with 41 percent of companies definitely hiring and 24 percent probably hiring.
“The market has continued to grow. We saw the greatest rate of growth take place in Saudi and Qatar in 2013. UAE growth has focused on local rather than international talent,” says David Greenwood, director of Mackenzie Jones Middle East.
“In my view, the Saudi job market has been very stable thanks to a stronger economy, even during the global crunch,” said Muhammad Aamer Klasson, recruitment consultant at Saudi Networkers Services (SNS).
“The dominance of recruitment in the energy, oil and gas and education sectors is purely due to the stability of these sectors and the fragility of other sectors such as the IT, telecom, construction, finance and FMCG industries,” he said.
Klasson added that the major strength of the oil and gas sector lies in it being backbone of the Kingdom’s economy and a lifeline for global users.
“The rise in education-related recruitment is purely because of the government’s commitment to revolutionize the sector. We have seen many state-of-the-art institutions, colleges and universities being built all over the Kingdom. These world-class educational institutions have resulted in an increase in recruitment activity in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Around 33 percent of respondents favored government jobs in terms of maintaining a good work-life balance, followed by 29 percent favoring jobs in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries and 26 percent in the banking and finance sector.
Around 28 percent of respondents said that the construction sector is the most stressful. Sixty-three of respondents favor government jobs overall.