UAE's job scene: Learning about UAE's job prospects in 2021

Let’s talk about the economic scene and the job trends in the UAE. The UAE is no less a place to consider when it comes to you deciding to work overseas. The middle-eastern country is progressive and open to development in many areas including information technology, engineering, tourism, and more.

The UAE has been severely affected by the COVID-19, despite which, the country is keeping its reputation up and sticking to the prospect of a full-fledged recovery. The process may be hard, but this country has the potential to get back into its best shape once the vaccinations help the country overcome the pandemic.

Lately, the UAE government has been keen to develop new-age skills in its young population. Even if the country is focused on staying an energy-producer for the coming 50 years, it’s also focusing on elevating its position in the area of technology.

The stage is now set in the UAE to bring up the technology sector, the vision for which highly envisages the implementation of digital technology in businesses and other sectors of governance and enterprise.

This resolve has been strengthened during the COVID-19 crisis. Lots of job opportunities are going to keep opening in the UAE which gives tech-skilled international workers the chance to find their right place to make the right career move.

The sectors for the future that the UAE has identified to work on include:

• Genomics
• Regenerative medicine
• Financial technology engineering
• Cybersecurity
• Artificial Intelligence
• Internet of Things
• Data science

In fact, the whole gulf area is on the path of development with a new vision and renewed vigor. The Hays 2021 GCC Salary & Employment Report gives a clear picture of the employment trends and forecasts for GCC countries. These include:

• The UAE
• Saudi Arabia
• Qatar
• Oman
• Kuwait
• Bahrain

The survey, which is the base of the report, was conducted on 3,500 employees and employers in the GCC region, which consists of the above-mentioned nations. It looked at the hiring and salary trends from 2020 in detail, as well as the employer and employee expectations for 2021.

There were 9 core disciplines covered in the report. They were:

• Sales
• Procurement & Supply Chain
• Office Support
• Marketing & Digital Marketing
• IT & Digital Technology
• Human Resources
• Property & Engineering
• Construction
• Banking & Financial Services
• Accountancy & Finance

The following were the important findings in the report:

2020

• 45% of employers cut down their organization’s headcount in 2020
• 28% were severely affected by the COVID-19
• 21% of businesses were immune to or positively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
• The sectors that performed in the most robust manner with the least pay cuts in 2020 included Banking & Capital Markets, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, and Telecom
• Sectors that had the most salary cuts (34%) were Property, Engineering, Hospitality & Tourism, Aviation
• 48% of employees had their salaries in 2020 continued from 2019

2021

• 82% of companies are either undergoing recovery or on business as usual or in phases of growth in business after the pandemic
• 64% expect to rope in additional staff in the coming 12 months
• 47% of employers expect their organization’s salaries to increase in 2021
• 78% of employees aim at making their working patterns more flexible in 2021

So, keep an eye on the latest developments and opportunities in the UAE.

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