The number of professional sector jobs advertised in Saudi Arabia rose 35 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2017, according to a new report from Robert Walters Middle East.
According to the data, the number of jobs advertised in Saudi Arabia also rose 21 percent between Q3 and Q4, with significant year-on-year increases for sales, marketing and legal positions.
In the UAE, however, the indexed advertised positions in the sectors that Robert Walters covers were found to be down 11 percent year-on-year and 7 percent down quarter-on-quarter. Accounting, sales and marketing jobs were all found to be down year-on-year.
Additionally, banking roles were found to be down year-on-year but, for the second quarter in a row, were showing a positive trend for that market in the last six months.
“Despite 2017 being a challenging year, there is an expectation of growth for 2018 as we have seen overall positive numbers for the region in the last two quarters,” said Jason Grundy, Robert Walters’ country head for the Middle East. “It is exciting to see the biggest economy in the region growing its job market off the back of weak data in 2017.”
Grundy added that the data “points to a market in transition with some areas of the professional market growing while others are stagnant.”
The Robert Walters data also shows that salaries will remain broadly flat in Saudi Arabia, but with modest increases expected in legal professions (3 percent) and for finance specialists (2 percent).
“While employers remain conservative in their salary projections for 2018, we do expect an upside in salary increases in Saudi, thanks to an improving economic situation as a result of the resumption of government spending, stabilized oil prices, and the effects of economic transformation programs,” Grundy added.
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