The number of employers planning to recruit shows an improvement on the last wave, when 52 percent said they would hire during the quarter.

In Lebanon, less than a quarter of respondents (23 percent) said that their organizations would definitely be hiring in the next three months, and another 33 percent said they would probably be hiring. By contrast, just 8 percent said they probably or definitely would not be hiring in the next quarter.

Across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the countries recorded varying propensity to hire as part of the Jobs Index. Respondents in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman had the highest propensity to hire, with 33 percent in Saudi Arabia and 29 percent each in Kuwait and Oman saying that their organizations will definitely be recruiting new staff in the coming months. The study also found that 26 percent of respondents in Qatar and 24 percent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will definitely hire in the next three months.

At the other end of the spectrum, just 19 percent of respondents in Jordan said they will definitely be hiring in the next three months, while 22 percent in Egypt believe that their organizations will definitely be looking for new staff in the next quarter. Syria showed the highest propensity to hire among the Levant countries – 27 percent of respondents said they would definitely hire in the next quarter. Overall, the figures indicate that the Gulf region is faring the best during the current economic cycle.

The Jobs Index is conducted to gauge perceptions of job availability and hiring, to identify job trends and to provide an understanding of the key skill sets and qualifications required in the Middle East job market.

The survey asked the respondents how many positions their organizations would be aiming to fill in the next three months. For the most part, organizations are looking to recruit staff for less than 10 positions: 44 percent said that less than five jobs will be available, and 22 percent said that between six and 10 jobs will be available. Interestingly, 3 percent of respondents said that they will be looking to fill more than 100 vacancies in the coming quarter.

“During the recession, a number of the region’s professionals lost their jobs as organizations cut their human resources budgets in a bid to save money and ride out the recession,” noted Rabea Ataya, chief executive officer, Bayt.com. “Now, as the region recovers from the recession, one of the first things that companies look at sourcing is the right talent to fit their new business needs.”

Asked at what level they are looking to recruit in the coming three months, the survey found that junior executives are the most likely to find themselves with a job offer: 30 percent of organizations said that they would be looking to employ junior executives, followed by 26 percent that said they would be looking to hire on an executive level.

As in the previous wave, and unsurprisingly given the level of experience and knowledge required, limited C-suite jobs are going to be on offer: 4 percent of the respondents said they would be seeking to appoint a new president, 6 percent said they plan to appoint a CEO, and another 6 percent said they would advertise vacancies for a COO, CFO or CMO.

Of those that are likely to be employed, graduates or postgraduates in business management stand the best chance. According to the study, 24 percent of organizations around the Middle East favor employing staff that are qualified in this field. Furthermore, graduates or postgraduates in commerce, engineering and administration are equally sought after by the region’s organizations, with 22 percent of respondents citing personnel in these fields as highly desirable.

Less attractive to organizations in the region were those with qualifications in interior or fashion design, and in flight training: just 3 percent and 2 percent of organizations, respectively, agreed that these are important qualifications that new staff should possess.

“Clearly, the Middle East, and more specifically the Gulf, is growing as a global finance and commerce hub, and as such, graduates in these fields are likely to find it easier than others to find employment,” said Joanna Longworth, chief marketing officer, YouGov Siraj. “The figures also indicate what types of industries dominate in this region, and it is clearly those concerned with business and trade.”

Being able to communicate in both English and Arabic is a desirable trait that employers look for when selecting new staff according to the study – 64 percent of respondents agreed this is what they look for most in a potential new employee. Being a cooperative, flexible, and helpful team player is also a clear skill priority among the region’s organizations, with 48 percent agreeing it is the most desirable trait. Having an overall good personality and demeanor was cited as the most desirable trait by 44 percent of the survey’s respondents.

“The figures suggest that when recruiting, employers will not immediately choose the most qualified candidate; rather, the region’s organizations place much more emphasis on key skills such as communication and teamwork, and personality traits such as having a pleasant demeanor,” noted Longworth.

“The studies that Bayt.com conducts alongside YouGov Siraj aim to provide the region’s organizations and HR professionals with regularly updated research that sheds light on various elements of the region’s job market. The Jobs Index has been designed to chart how the region’s job market changes from quarter to quarter, which will allow the region’s employers and other industry stakeholders to benefit from up to date job market information, which can be used for affecting positive organizational change,” concluded Ataya.

Data for the January 2010 Jobs Index was collected online between January 4 and 30, 2010, with 3,942 respondents from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Pakistan. Males and females aged over 18, of all nationalities, were included in the survey. – The Daily Star