Despite relatively steady economic growth, many financial professionals working in the Middle East still experience work-related stress. According to a survey conducted by eFinancialCareers, which serves the global financial community as the leading network of career sites for professionals working in banking and the financial markets, 31% of regionally-based finance professionals say they feel “very” stressed at work – more than their counterparts in the UK, US, Germany and France. Moreover, 58% report that they are either very or quite concerned about being laid off in the next six months which is perhaps why Middle East professionals put in the most overtime with 41% claiming it is due to staff cut backs.
Here is how stress levels at work rate
- Middle-East
- France
- Germany
- U.S.
- UK
Conversely, U.S. workers report having adequate leisure time to counterbalance work-related pressure, with 75% saying they have enough time for interests outside of work. In the Middle East it is the opposite with 61% saying they have no time to enjoy leisure pursuits.
On the upside, 81% of those working in the Middle East markets do feel they receive the respect they deserve from colleagues.
James Bennett, Global Managing Director of eFinancialCareers comments: “Stress can significantly impact an employee’s health and well-being. This is not only bad for them, but also bad for business, as it results in lower productivity, higher rates of sickness and absenteeism leading to a poor and often negative working environment. ”
U.S. respondents – known for working excruciatingly long hours – report less stress and more work-life balance than their colleagues in Continental Europe and the Middle East.
When asked how they relieve their stress, Middle East finance professionals put spending time with friends and family, listening to music, and playing sports in their top choices, the next favourite being watching television for more than two hours a day.
eFinancialCareers brings together finance professionals and companies through its highly-specialized career site in several financial sectors, including investment banking, trading, asset management, compliance and legal, risk management, derivatives, equities, operations and quantitative analytics.
The website provides financial services professionals with job opportunities, job market news and analysis, salary surveys and career advice. Recruiters and employers can post jobs targeting specific sectors within the financial services industry, both buy-side and sell-side, and can search the resume database for highly qualified and specialized professionals. It has a network of co-branded career sites with industry-leading trade publications and offers local websites.
