Poll shows 50% of UAE firms looking to hire Q309

Workers stand more chance of finding jobs in the UAE than most other nations around the globe, a new global survey has claimed.

The global employment survey, carried out by recruitment firm Antal, found that 50 percent of UAE companies polled expected to recruit new managers and professionals in the coming quarter. 

In contrast, 44 percent of businesses from other parts of the world said they were looking to bring in new faces during the next quarter.

However, 21 percent of UAE businesses also revealed they were making cutbacks, with 14 percent expected to reduce workforce numbers in the next three months.

“Although the Gulf may no longer be in the 'boom' market of recent years, hiring levels for professionals and manager are still relatively healthy and have only experienced a fairly minor drop from 56 percent at the beginning of 2009 to 47 percent now,” said Nizar Lalani, chief of Antal's UAE operations.

“Innovative measures such as the fact that expatriates no longer immediately lose their visas along with their job have certainly helped here," he added.

The data found no difference betwen the UAE and other parts of the world in terms of their current hiring stance, with 47 percent of all saying they were currently bolstering their workforces.

A total of 4,217 companies from 32 countries in western and eastern Europe, Africa, India, China and the US were questioned for this survey.

“Whilst the percentage of organisations hiring in the 32 countries surveyed has gone down, it has not plummeted in the way that the economic statistics, many pundits and the ever-cheerful IMF might have led us to believe,” said Antal’s global CEO Tony Goodwin.

“The period of panic and un-illuminated gloom does finally seem to be behind us. Recovery may still be a good way off, but it could be that we are now better prepared to pave the way to it than we have been for quite some time,” he added.

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