A new study by Michael Page reveals that there is an ‘invisible revolution’ among the UAE workforce, over 95 percent of employees in the country said that they are currently open to new opportunities in the job market.
The ‘Invisible Revolution‘ is a seismic shift with the potential to inflict wide-reaching global tremors in the market for the years to come.
Of the 625 respondents in the UAE, over half revealed that they are active job seekers and the rest of them are on the fence about looking for new jobs but are not ruling it out.
According to the study, the statistics reveal that companies cannot confidently rely on most people in their current workforce to be retained.
Concerns include new joiners who are equally as likely to be open to new opportunities with more than half of those who started roles in 2022 still considered as ‘active jobseekers’.
Commentators said that the worst of the ‘Great Resignation’ is over but the latest data reveals that the number of resignations have not slowed with levels recorded double as that of 2021.
UAE workforce trends
Half the employees in the UAE (54 percent) are in full-time office roles with remote working and hybrid models increasingly becoming the norm. Hybrid jobs make it easier for workers to find jobs and contact recruiters while performing duties in the privacy of their homes, the report reveals.
Eight out of ten employees in the UAE said they are satisfied with their current workload and half are even satisfied with their salaries, however, this shows that employees are mostly happy but can still have one eye on the next move.
Work-life balance was ranked as the most important part of a job with 32 percent of employees willing to reject a promotion if they believe that it would negatively affect their wellbeing. Flexibility is the new norm along salary packages and career progress, the study unveiled.
Pierre-Emmanuel Dupil, Senior Managing Director – Middle East & Africa at Michael Page, said, “The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, and similar variations have dominated conversations in the post-pandemic world of work. These terms refer to a subtle but transformative shift in workplace dynamics that has occurred around the world. We believe these changes add up to an ‘Invisible Revolution’, with significant implications for employers.
“Our study highlights a long-term transformation of the employment market, as people reassess the role of work in their lives following the disruption of the pandemic,” he concluded.
Nicholas Kirk, CEO, PageGroup said, “The trends in the UAE mirror the sentiment of the global talent market – every region has seen a transformative change across all age groups, markets, and industries.
“It is clear there has been a universal reset of people’s relationships with their jobs. Work-life balance, a competitive salary, and strong career progression prospects have become non-negotiable, and professionals are willing to leave their current roles to secure these elsewhere,” he added.
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