The United Arab Emirates is a popular destination for job seekers in the Middle East and Sothern Asia. Now, a new survey reveals that the oil, gas, and petrochemicals industry is the most preferred sector for employment in the country. The other important finding says that working environment is happy, with high employee motivation.
Around two in three workers in UAE, or 65% of them, say they are quite and even highly motivated at work, according to the recent report “Top Industries in Middle East and North Africa”, conducted by job site Bayt.com and research and consultancy organization, YouGov. The survey also finds that 44% of the working population is satisfied with the salary, although 57% of them admit their motivation can be improved by raising the payment and offering more benefits. Another 47% of the respondents are satisfied with their ability to maintain a good work-personal life balance. Around 37% of people are content with the potential for career growth, 40% are happy for the training and development opportunities, 56% are content with the working hours, and 50% of all workers are happy with the current work culture. This, according to the researchers shows that the general working environment in UAE is happy.
The report also displays the most preferred jobs, based on salaries, opportunities for career growth and other factors. The most attractive industry for workers is oil, gas and petrochemicals industry, with 14%, followed by construction with 8%. The oil and gas industry is believed to offer the best payment and the best potential for career growth. The other preferred sectors for employment are banking and finance, advertising, marketing and public relations, tourism, and hospitality. Government careers are also attractive to job seekers, providing the highest levels of security, good salaries, and a great balance between career and personal life. The most decisive factor for perceiving a job as “the perfect one” is the salary and the benefits (85%). Respondents also look for good opportunities for career development (66%) and job security (36%).
So, are employees in UAE satisfied with their position? The survey reveals that 44% think they have the perfect job, although 59% wish for a higher position. 43% of the people say they would like to be experts in their field.
However, although the general satisfaction is high, according to the numbers, around three in five people admit that there aren’t many opportunities for career growth in the companies they are currently working at. And two in five respondents say they are prepared to change their area of expertise or department, or move to a completely different industry altogether. The most stressful industries are construction for 30% of the people, banking and finance (23%), and most surprisingly, advertising, media, PR, market research and publishing, and oil and gas industry. Construction also turns out to be the industry with the longest working hours.
The survey shows another interesting trend – locals are mostly attracted to government (68%), civil service and utilities jobs (55%), military, defense, police or security services (35%), while oil and gas stays behind with 29%. Women in UAE prefer banking and finance (34%), education and academic sectors (34%), and healthcare and pharmaceuticals (28%).
