Dubai employers see more active job market in 2011

A large majority of employers in Dubai expect a more active job market this year, according to a survey conducted by recruitment firm BAC Middle East.

The responses - from almost 200 companies  across all major sectors in the first quarter of 2011 - found that feedback regarding the business climate was generally positive.

Eighty-six percent of respondents said that 2010 had met or exceeded their expectations.

Employers were also generally optimistic about the year ahead, BAC Middle East said, with 95 percent describing themselves as fairly optimistic, optimistic or very optimistic.

Only five percent said they were fairly pessimistic about prospects this year, the survey showed.

Eighty-five percent of respondents expect to see a more active regional recruitment market compared to last year, with 72 percent saying their company would definitely hire new staff this year.

Just three percent said they would not be employing more staff in 2011, compared to 11 percent last year.

In addition, only two percent of companies surveyed expected any reduction in their local staffing levels this year.

Predictions for salary levels in 2011 varied widely, with a median expectation of a five percent increase, the survey added.

Siobhan O'Reilly, recruitment manager at BAC Middle East, said: "In general we do not foresee any major changes in salary levels this year. Employers generally remain very conscious of business costs and there is still uncertainty on where living costs such as rent are going to settle."

She added: "The market is in an interesting situation whereby companies are looking to control costs and hold salaries steady, while at the same time facing a situation where skilled candidates are in an increasingly strong negotiating position.

"With fewer redundancies occurring in the current market and the reduced number of job seekers travelling to Dubai from abroad, the pool of active and available candidates has diminished, particularly in the professional and executive segments."