Job seekers in UAE find difficult to Secure Job

Despite their generally positive view of their own skill level, 59 per cent of job seekers in the UAE find it difficult to secure a job with their current skills, with 19 per cent claiming it is 'very difficult', data from a recent survey has shown.

The 'Skills Gap in the Middle East and North Africa' survey, conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov, found that job seekers rated the importance of various skills in improving their chances of finding a job. When people seeking employment for senior positions in the UAE are asked about the skills they possess, they rated 'collaboration/teamwork' as their strongest skill. This was followed by 'overall personality and demeanour', 'communication skills', 'ability to work under pressure', 'efficiency' and 'critical thinking and problem solving'.

 Similarly, when people seeking employment for junior- to mid-level positions are asked about the skills they possess, they rated 'collaboration/teamwork' as their strongest skill, followed by 'overall personality and demeanour'.

 "In today's dynamic and ever-evolving job market, candidates need to be constantly looking for new ways to enhance their skills in order to differentiate themselves, optimise their profile and effectively navigate complex work environments," said Joao Neves, senior research director at YouGov. "Ideally, to maximise the impact of their efforts, industry leaders, educational institutions and governments should work together to provide job seekers with clear guidance on future growth areas in the region and most desirable skills to succeed."

In order to keep their skills current, job seekers in the UAE are committed to self-improvement and rated reading articles and journals at 62 per cent, reading books at 53 per cent, researching industry best practices at 46 per cent and taking online courses at 39 per cent as the most popular methods to achieve this.

"It is a compelling and fundamental issue nowadays for job seekers to be able to ensure their prominence with the right set of skills for their target job. Employer consideration of both online and offline skills is rapidly expanding," said Suhail Masri, vice-president of employer solutions at Bayt.com.

Across the region, when respondents were asked to select the main reason why they felt job seekers have difficulties in finding jobs matching their skills, the fact that 'job seekers do not know what employers are looking for' and that 'educational institutions do not teach students the skills they need to enter the job market' topped the list.

When looking at country-specific responses, results suggest 'job seekers not knowing what skills employers are looking for' is more of an issue in the UAE and Qatar, while those in Egypt were the most likely to claim that 'educational institutions do not teach students the skills they need to enter the job market'.

When asked about the best solutions for the perceived skills gap, respondents across the Mena said 'companies should provide enough training opportunities to employees' at 42 per cent; 'companies, educational institutions and governments should work together to predict future skills needs' at 40 per cent; and 'companies and educational institutions should work together to provide students with the skills they need to enter the job market' at 39 per cent, as the most ideal solutions.