Gloom and doom for Gulf staff

NO SATISFACTION: 34% of employees in the UAE said job satisfaction was ‘low’, according to the survey. (Getty Images)

Job satisfaction is eluding staff across the Gulf region, with the majority of employees unhappy with one or more aspects of their work, a recent survey found.

Research conducted by YouGovSiraj for job site Bayt.com found Saudi staff to be the unhappiest, with 40% expressing low levels of work satisfaction. The gloomy outlook is echoed across the region with a ‘low’ rating for 34% of employees in the UAE and Kuwait, and 30% in Qatar.

The Employee Loyalty survey questioned 9,760 workers across the region and Pakistan to gauge the attitudes of Middle Eastern employees towards their careers, the work they do and the organisations they work for.

Lebanon and Morocco have the highest levels of job satisfaction at 36% and 35% respectively, the survey found.

In the UAE, just 27% of workers said they were ‘highly satisfied’ with their jobs. The country also scored the lowest level of motivation in the region, with 65% of employees saying they feel motivated to perform well at work, and 71% saying they felt committed to their employers.

Gulf nationals across all countries scored lowest, with just 26% enjoying a high level of satisfaction in their work.

"These figures are very telling about the current employment situation in the region and provide an accurate picture of how not only different nationalities feel in their jobs, but how attitudes towards the working environment change between countries," said Rabea Ataya, CEO of Bayt.com.

"Understanding that employees in one market are very pessimistic about their work, while employees in a neighbouring country are largely optimistic, enables all stakeholders to reflect on the drivers of these attitudes and assess their current working practices, and understand where there is a potential need for change."

Higher levels of job satisfaction are generally mirrored by staff loyalty, the survey found, with workers in Lebanon and Morocco the most committed, at 73% and 66%.

Staff happiness also has a direct impact on productivity and economic growth for businesses, the study found.

"Despite highly favourable economic conditions, companies are not going far enough to make their employees feel like valued members of the workforce," said Nassim Ghrayeb, CEO of YouGovSiraj.

"This knowledge is of fundamental importance to businesses, especially in the face of increased costs of recruiting staff, compared to the actual costs of retaining them."

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