Bayt.com Blog

How active is the job market in the Middle East today?

Bayt HR Guru — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:48:12 +0000

Question from Job Seeker:
I am currently pursuing a Masters degree in Engineering in Qatar and expecting to graduate in June 2010. However I’m starting to get worried about finding my first job. A lot of people I know have waited until after graduation to start their job hunting and ended up not seizing a good opportunity before six months to 1 year! I don’t want this to happen to me, what shall I do, taken into account the fact (or rumor?) that the Middle Eastern employment market is not yet very active?Answer from Bayt HR Guru:
Finding your “first job is” very often a nerve-racking exercise for job seekers, but the fact that you are already getting morally geared up to kick start your job-hunting process is good news! The sooner the better! Bear in mind that being proactive is a necessity during the job hunting process; in fact, it’s twice more vital now with the relatively large number of Middle Eastern professionals (and professionals in Qatar) looking for a new job. Don’t postpone: Start conducting your research and eying companies/ jobs in Qatar that you think would interest you, and most importantly perfect your cover letter and CV (in which you will state your expected graduation date). Shed light on your strengths and your accomplishments, and allot time to identify and then work on your areas of development. Treat the job hunting process as a full time job until you land the perfect job opportunity for you. Stay positive, confident and focused and practice interviewing skills and techniques with professionals you trust to ensure that when you land those interviews you are able to translate them into solid job offers! Bayt.com has a wealth of articles and guides and self assessment tests related to the job search process and interviewing tools and techniques so make sure you also bring yourself upto speed on the latest in job search strategies online!
The good news is that a very healthy number of jobs in the Middle East exist for fresh college grads as per Bayt.com & YouGov Siraj’s “ Job Index Survey- January 2010”- which shows that 30% of Middle East employers are looking to fill in “Junior Executive” positions in the 3 months to come. Furthermore, the study shows that an overwhelming 70% of Qatar employers are planning to recruit in the 12 months, and 60% of Qatar employers perceive Qatar’s job market to be more attractive than job markets in its neighboring countries. You are obviously in one of the GCC’s hottest job markets right now and with the right kind of planning and an enthusiastic, pro-active attitude your job-hunting process should proceed smoothly.
Remember to post your CV on Bayt.com and complete all the required sections so you can access top job opportunities in Qatar and top job opportunities in the Middle East quickly, easily and absolutely free of charge. Best of luck!

Related posts:

Salaries in the Middle East 2009-2010

Lama Ataya — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:56:31 +0000

The 2010 GCC and Middle East Salary Survey is now out from Bayt.com and YouGov Siraj and professionals across the Middle East can now benchmark and compare their latest salary raises to their peers. Indeed despite the economic situation, based on the latest Middle East salary survey 54% of professionals across the Middle East region have indicated they received a raise in the last 12 months, with the average raise for the year registering at 7.3%. A reasonable degree of optimism is in the air with respondents expecting raises for the next 12 months to be higher than last year to reach an average of 10.5%.

The cost of living meanwhile across the MENA countries is perceived to have risen by 23.5% in the past 12 months. Again there is the expectation that people’s financial situation will improve in the next 12 months and cost of living increases will slow down to 18% for the 2010 calendar year.

How have savings in the Middle East been impacted by the 2009 economic situation? A full 38% of professionals surveyed indicated they are unable to save any money at all. For professionals who are able to save, the average savings rate across the Middle East and North Africa registered at 10.48% of household income.

Despite the mismatch between salaries and cost of living increases in the past 12 months across the Middle East, a full 12% of the survey’s respondents feel they are ‘much better off’’ than people of a similar generation in their country and a further 28% feel they are ‘’somewhat better off’’. This is more than double the 16% of professionals surveyed who feel they are ‘’worse off’’ than their peers.

The Middle East salary survey which covers and analyzes salaries in the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and elsewhere in the MENA region also highlighted that as many as 54% of the region’s professionals would consider moving to a higher paying industry a result of quality of living considerations in the next 12 months while 24% would consider moving to a different country in the region as an expat and 23% would change companies within the same industry. As many as 13% would consider moving to a different region altogether as an expat and 9% would consider returning to their home country.

An extremely interesting finding of the Survey is that the majority of professionals in places like the KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain believe there are still skills shortages in their countries. In contrast, in Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria and Morrocco the reverse is true with professionals indicating there is excess supply of talent. Most skills shortages were reported in KSA and Qatar while the largest perceived surplus of talent was in Lebanon.

Perhaps the best news of the Survey is that the largest group of professionals across the Middle East (24%) think that their country’s salary and employment levels will not be affected beyond what we have already seen to date as a result of global salary and unemployment trends. Moreover 14% of respondents anticipate that salaries will continue to increase, the pace of hiring will be maintained at a very robust level and there will not be any lasting negative impact on local salary/employment trends.

Finally for employers in the Middle East looking to recruit and retain top talent in the current economic climate a very encouraging finding of the Survey is that very many drivers beside direct pay were seen to significantly influence loyalty to companies in the Middle East. These were led by ‘’opportunities for long term career progression’’ and also included factors such as quality of line and senior management as well as colleagues and work environment and the availability of training opportunities. Salary levels may be very important (as well as the structure of total pay packages which the Salary Survey also analyzes) but the Bayt.com YouGov Siraj 2010 Middle East Salary Survey drove home once again that salaries alone do not fully determine loyalty and satisfaction levels of professionals in the Middle East workplace vis-a-vis their employer.

Related posts:

How does the Middle East Job Market look in 2010?

Mona Karaoui — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:06:05 +0000

Three months have flown by quite swiftly – Bayt.com & YouGov Siraj’s Job Index in its 2nd wave (January 2010) is out, aiming to once again gauge perceptions of job availability and hiring, identify jobs and to provide an understanding of the key skill sets and qualifications that employers are looking for in talents across the Middle East today with the beginning of the year 2010.

Reminder: “The Middle East Job Index” is calculated using 2 key indices, the JI (Job Index), and the HEI (Hiring Expectancy Index) – relying basically on 2 questions (from which the figures are derived):
1.Will you be hiring in the next 3 months wither for your organization/ clients- if you are in the recruitment / HR consultancy field?

2. Do you think you will be hiring in a year’s time from now either for your organization or for your clients- if you are in the recruitment / HR consultancy field?
January2010 Highlights:
1. Vis- a- vis hiring expectancy- Overall:
- Current: In the next 3 months, 27% of participating employers stated they are definitely hiring, 29% are probably be hiring, 8% are probably not hiring, 7% are definitely not hiring and 30% cannot yet tell if they are to hire or not.

- Expected: In the next 12 months, 32% of participants stated they will definitely be hiring, 37% will probably be hiring, 6% will probably not be hiring, 4% will definitely not be hiring, and 22% cannot yet tell if they will be hiring or not.
2. Hiring Expectancy by Country:
a. Current: (in the next 3 months)
- Countries that are “definitely hiring”: Bahrain (43%), KSA (33%), Oman &Kuwait (29%)
- Countries that are “probably hiring”: Lebanon & Oman (33%), Jordan (32%), Tunisia (31%)

b. Future (in one year’s time)
- Countries planning to “definitely hire”: KSA (40%), Oman (35%), Tunisia (33%)

- Countries planning to “probably hire”: Jordan (46%), Syria (44%), Qatar & Algeria (40%)

3. Hiring Expectancy by Sector:
a. Current: (in the next 3 months)
- Sectors that are “definitely hiring”: Private Sector- MNC (32%), Private sector- Large Local Companies (30%)
- Sectors that are “probably hiring”: Private sector – Large Local Companies & Small / Medium Companies (32%), Private Sector – Other (31%)

b. Future (in one year’s time)

- Sectors planning to “definitely hire”: Private sector – Large local companies (38%), Private sector- MNC (35%) - Sectors planning to “probably hire”: Private sector- Small/ Medium Local Companies (40%), Private sector- other (39%)

Other JI Highlights:

- In terms of numbers of jobs available: 44% of total employers said they have to fill in less than 5 jobs in the next 3 months (mostly in Lebanon at 61% and Oman & Syria at 50%) while 22 % are looking into filling 6 to 10 jobs (mostly in Bahrain at 36% and Jordan at 27%).

- In terms of positions in demand: Positions that are most in demand are junior executive positions (30%), followed by executive positions (26%) and senior executive positions (24%)- Top management positions are the least sought by employers still: President (4%), VP (4%), Senior VP (3%).

- In terms of education and academic qualifications: Education and academic qualifications that are most in demand by total employers are business management (24%), commerce (22%) and engineering (22%). Qualifications that are least in demand by employers are interior or fashion design (3%) and flight training / in flight crew (2%).

- In terms of education and academic qualifications- by country: Oman, Lebanon and UAE employers are those seeking business management graduates the most (at 39%, 36%, and 30 % respectively), while Oman employers(again- at 29%), Qatar employers (at 27%) and Morocco & Kuwait ( at 26%) are mostly hunting for commerce graduates.

- In terms of skills: 64% of total employers stated they look mostly for good communication skills (in both English and Arabic) in a candidate, followed by the ability to act as a team player – at 48% of the votes.

- In terms of experience: 38% of employers stated they are ideally looking for candidates with managerial experience , while 29% are more interested in sales and marketing experience.

- In terms of country of residence attractiveness: 44% of employers stated their country of residence is more attractive – to varying extents- as a job marker than its neighboring countries in the Middle East, while 14% stated it is equally attractive and 30% stated it is less attractive – to varying extents.

- In terms of country of residence attractiveness- by country: 46% of UAE &KSA employers find their countries of residence much more attractive than neighboring countries, followed by Qatar employers at 38%.

- In terms of industry attractiveness: 46% of employers find their industry more attractive- to varying extents- as a potential employer compared to other industries, while 25% of employers find it equally attractive and 37% find it less attractive- to varying extents.

- In terms of most attractive industries: banking & finance still ranks first and is now joined by Telecommunications at 37% followed by Construction at 29% and Oil, gas & petrochemicals at 27%. The least attractive industries according to participating employers are Business Consultancy and Medical/ Health Services at 18%.

Related posts:

Bayt.com Virtual Technology Fair

Lama Ataya — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:33:58 +0000

If all goes to plan this quarter the number of job applicants walking into the Middle East’s IT companies big and small brandishing paper CVs and big, hopeful smiles will be somewhat diminished due to the appearance of a pioneering new event in the Middle East HR calendar. The Bayt.com Virtual Technology Job Fair, a close collaboration between Bayt.com and Dubai Internet City (DIC), with Mediaquest as media partner, will aim to do to the Technology industry what the first Bayt.com Virtual Education Fair did to the academic industry, ie make the matching of talent with opportunity faster, easier and more effective.

How will it work? For one week between March 28 till April 1, 2010 professionals seeking jobs in the IT sector can visit ONLINE for free the Bayt.com Virtual Technology Job Fair (VTJF), peruse opportunities with leading IT companies from across the region and apply online to all jobs they are interested in and qualified for. They can also chat with IT company representatives, ask questions and learn more about specific positions, the culture and career plans in the company. Meanwhile leading corporations can advertise current positions at all career levels, source, screen and shortlist relevant candidates and chat with professionals about their career plans and potential fit with the company.

Why is this a great idea? Simple! Clear advantages for Jobseekers include the fact that the online job fair is completely FREE, requires no travel/commuting costs and is the most effective platform to interact with the IT industry’s top recruiters at every career level. For the Middle East’s IT Employers advantages of the VTJF also include substantial savings in costs and time as well as the invaluable opportunity to maximize exposure and reach out to the IT community of the Middle East’s #1 jobsite which currently enjoys over 4 million registered professionals. Bayt.com has more or less single-handedly pioneered the Virtual Job Fair space in the online world across the Middle East and has already launched a number of highly successful and extremely well publicized localized as well as pan-regional Virtual Job Fairs in the past year. The Virtual Technology Fair promises to be just as attractive and vibrant a platform for the Middle East’s top IT recruiters to meet the Middle East’s top IT talent.

The VTJF will have opportunities in the IT sector for professionals at every career level from entry level to senior executive professionals and consultants so if you are an IT professional we encourage you to register today, logon when the Fair begins and peruse the universe of fresh opportunity.

For Employers Employers can still book a booth so please contact us at vjf@bayt.com to enquire what spaces are still available!

See you at the Fair!

Related posts:

Career Success by Ashraf Chaudhry, Pakistan’s Number 1 Sales Trainer and Author of “The Craft of Selling Yourself”

Ashraf Chaudhry — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:44:19 +0000

In order to blossom into a productive body of the society, one needs to treat his career like a baby- with careful handling, nurturing, ownership, grooming, acquiring& application of skills and a freedom to make experiments and meaningful socialization. Career Management consists of: Taking initiatives, staying valuable to the company, cultivating relationships and continuously learning.

Taking Initiatives: Every great achievement is the result of taking initiatives. A Chinese proverb says that a journey of thousand miles starts with taking the first step. People who marshal courage and take steps and dare to fall and bear the consequences and jeopardize their finances and risk becoming laughing stocks go into history as winners, victors, saviors and celebrities. World will always remember Neil Armstrong as the first person to have landed on moon because he took the initiative to come out of Apollo, although Colonel Edwin was also traveling in the same shuttle. Since Colonel did not take the initiative, he will always be remembered as No 2.To move on to the next level in organizations, one needs to take initiatives, start new tasks, take risks, plan new activities and go beyond the usual call of duty.

Staying valuable to the company: When you are working for an organization, treat yourself like an entrepreneur. Your time, talent and skill-set are your products and your organization is the client. If the product does not add value to the life of the buyer, repeat purchases will not occur. In order to be considered as an asset for upcoming organizational moves, you have to ensure that you invest all the time and effort you can to create value for your employer.

Cultivating Relationships: Networking is the key to progress in life. You have got to have high NQ (Networking Quotient) to move ahead in your career. You need to cultivate and nurture your relationships horizontally, vertically and laterally. Make yourself available to help others. That is the secret ingredient of potent networking.

Continuous Learning: Continuously sharpening the knowledge sword is critical for long-term win in life. If you have passion to create your mark in your field, you need to upgrade your skills constantly. You have got to stay updated about developments taking place in your organization, your industry and the economy. Your knowledge about what laws and environmental factors are impacting your organization and industry and how you can leverage the external factors to your advantage will determine your success in your professional life.

Ashraf Chaudhry can be reached at ashraf@ashrafchaudhry.com

Related posts:

Everything and Then Some

Lama Ataya — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:30:31 +0000

That’s what can potentially be bought and sold on the new state-of-the-art Classifieds site Bayt.com just launched. Be specific? Let your imagination run riot and that’s how specific we can be. Fancy vintage cars from the 1920s, fur coats, limited edition books, collectors items, and even really useful stuff like hot properties with seaside views, new and used furniture, electronic items, toys for you and the kids and compact gardening equipment for those moments when you are not in your job wishing you were elsewhere, or busy trying to find a new job. Without waxing lyrical here let me even announce, a little smugly if I may, that I even found my trilingual child a French tutor here – and so far the tutor has pretended not to notice me sitting outside the open living room window in a large shrub eavesdropping vociferously and taking notes – yes I hasten to add, my French has improved!

So why a Classifieds site? Simple! The tightknit Bayt.com community of over 4 million registered professionals and 30,000 registered employers has requested for their most essential online endeavour – namely, recruitment – to be supplemented with other essential endeavours that are equally compelling and also add to the quality and robustness of their lives. With a vast segment of the Bayt.com community comprised of highly mobile expats who are looking to first procure and then maybe pass on essential items – like homes, cars, furniture, electronic appliances etc. – we have been pressed for some time now by our users to offer this platform. Moreover as the largest recruitment services platform in the Middle East we have also been pressed to augment this with a platform for freelance talent and other contractual services. Hence the answer to all the Middle East’s Classifieds needs, Bayt.com Classifieds.

So far it has been contagious, and with no official launch has attracted visitors with the stealth my garden mint (planted with gardening equipment I bought online) has infiltrated its neighbouring begonia and rosemary bush. Why? Bayt.com continues to be by far the highest trafficked jobsite in the Middle East with a highly loyal customer base; and the technology, interface and platform are what you have grown to expect from Bayt.com’s team of online experts.

Which brings me to my next purchase. Some highly original artistic pots to pot this vagabond mint I just planted so I can gift it in lieu of apple pie to anyone I visit or who visits. If you have any to sell, I look forward to meeting you online on Bayt Classifieds! And no – my college vespa is not for sale – Yet!

Related posts:

Belts of Middle Eastern Consumers Still Tightened

Where does internet usage stand in the Middle East today?

Mona Karaoui — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:50:24 +0000

While the world average internet penetration rate stands at 25.6% today( according to the World Internet Statistics Website- September 2009), the Middle East scores a bit higher- at 28.3 % following elevated rates in Latin America, Europe, Oceana/ Australia with North American topping the list (74.2% penetration). The past decade in the Middle East has witnessed an upward slope in the usage of internet- it no longer is a commodity but a necessity in the lives of professionals, students and youngsters alike.

Bayt.com & Yougov Siraj have dug deeper into internet usage in the Middle East today, the habits and attitudes of online users in the region and how it is affecting their family/ social/ professional lives. A total of 13,847 Middle East professionals participated in this survey and below are some key highlights that we, at Bayt.com would like to share with you:

- 81% of Middle East professionals surveyed access the internet from home while 41% access it from work (Lebanon mostly from home- at 89%- followed by Egypt- at 88%).

- 45% of Middle East professionals surveyed do own a computer of their own today while 39% have a shared computer with family members (users in Qatar mostly have their own computer- at 58%).

- On average, when it comes to using the internet for work, 15% of Middle East professionals surveyed spend less than hour a day, while 34% spend up to 2 hours, 25% spend between 3 to 4 hours, 11% spend 5 to 6 hours and 14% spend more than 6 hours a day.

- On average, when it comes to using the internet for leisure, 31% of Middle East professionals surveyed spend less than an hour, whereas 36% spend up to 2 hours, 29% spend 3 to 4 hours, 7% spend 5 to 6 hours and 7% spend more than 6 hours a day.

- When it comes to “internet savviness”, 24% of Middle East professionals surveyed consider themselves internet experts, while almost half of them- at 49%- consider themselves knowledgeable but do sometimes require help. 23% of Middle East professionals surveyed trust their internet skills are intermediate and only 3% consider themselves beginners. Lebanon scores in highest in terms of internet expertise with 40% of professionals surveyed declaring themselves internet experts.

- Top reasons for Middle East professionals surveyed to use the internet are: e-mailing friends at 83%, reading news at 78% and searching for job opportunities at 77%.

- Most Middle East professionals surveyed – at 38%- visit 6 to 10 sites a day.

- 87% of Middle East professionals surveyed trust the internet has replaced print for political news, while 90% state it has now become their main source for business news coverage. 91% of Middle East professionals surveyed rely on the internet for lifestyle/ leisure literature today instead of the traditional sources.

- In terms of online payments for personal matters, 45% of Middle East professionals surveyed are comfortable making them while 55% are not comfortable- to varying extents. Professionals surveyed in Kuwait are the most comfortable – at 60%.

- In terms of online payments for business matters, 49% of Middle East professionals surveyed are comfortable making them while 51% are not comfortable – to varying extents. Professionals surveyed in Kuwait are the most comfortable – at 60%.

- 70% of Middle East professionals surveyed feel that virtual contact has sidelined personal social interaction.

- 74% of Middle East professionals surveyed feel that the internet has facilitated networking which may not have been physically possible for them.

- 80% of Middle East professionals surveyed feel that online communication- such as chatting & e-mails- has replaced traditional forms of communication – such as telephone.

- 53% of Middle East professionals surveyed feel there is too much information available on the internet, the thing which makes it difficult for them to locate the data they require.

- 65% of Middle East professionals surveyed would be interested in pursuing online education in the future (mostly in Egypt at 76%)

Related posts:

E-MBA at 45?

Bayt HR Guru — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:32:25 +0000

Question from Job Seeker: I have been a full-timer accountant with my company (in Egypt) for over 10 years now and I would very much like to pursue a MBA. My question to you Bayt Guru is: do you think pursuing a MBA at my age (45) is feasible and are professionals resorting to e-MBAs yet? It seems like a much easier way for me, given the fact that I am overloaded with work and cannot honestly afford to leave early and attend physical classes during the week.
Answer from Bayt HR Guru: Knowledge has no borders or limits. The urge that you have to pursue a MBA (even at 45) is very common between Middle Eastern professionals today, according to Bayt’s recent “Career Reinvention poll” – which shows that 87% of surveyed professionals in the Middle East would like to go back to school. Out of these however, 38% state that although they would like to go back to school, they can’t currently afford to, while 15% state they would go back only if the given course is short. Thus, our advice to you is if you have the finances and can afford the time to do it, do not linger at all. The option of a e-MBA is advisable and as a matter of fact very popular amongst Middle Eastern professionals today. A total of 65% of Middle Eastern professionals surveyed in Bayt’s “Internet Usage in the Middle East Survey” do express their inclination for online education- professionals in Egypt seem particularly interested in resorting to that education path with an overwhelming 76% reiterating that fact. Go for it and we wish you the best of luck!

Career UnCovered: Tony Azzi, General Manager of Logicom, KSA

Tony Azzi — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:50:19 +0000

Biography Tony grew up in Beirut, Lebanon and graduated from Université Saint Joseph with a BS in Business Computer followed by a MBA. Prior to his position as General Manager, Toni held the role of Business Development Manager with Logicom Beirut for 4 years before moving to KSA- Toni has an extensive experience in developing business plans, conducting strategic business planning, sales and marketing.

Best career advice I ever got Failing to plan is planning to fail

Favorite Job task I ever had to do Business Planning and Development

Most dreaded job task I ever had to do Restructuring a business and firing employees

Best career decision ever made: Deciding to accept the opportunity that Logicom has given me – relocating to KSA as GM of Logicom KSA has been the best career decision I have made so far.

Working for over 4 years with “LOGICOM “has been an absolutely amazing experience on both professional and personal level. Logicom by itself is a university where I continuously learn and develop my professional and personal skills.

My Biggest Professional Challenge My biggest professional challenge was launching the Saudi Operation and making it profitable. Luckily, I was able to succeed.

Icons who have influenced my career progression/Role Models Carlos Ghosn, Director of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Renault S.A.I very much look up to him, his ethos and his accomplishments.

Most recommended readings (Websites, books) for people interested in my field of work/industry I recently read these books that I highly recommend: Egonomics (By David Marcum and Steven Smith), The world is Flat (by Thomas L. Friedman), How to evaluate companies, etc.

In another life, my perfect job would be a pilot, without a doubt!

My living and working in UAE experience has so far been very unique. Getting used to new style of living is never easy but I have to say the overall living and working experience has been quite special. KSA has opened the door for me for a great professional experience and a wonderful exposure.

A successful career thought/ Motto that I live by ( and advise others to consider) Always dare to differentiate yourself and get out of the queue!

Related posts:

The “Most Attractive Country/ Industry” Award goes to?

Mona Karaoui — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:05:32 +0000

Part of “the Middle East Job Index Survey“ consists of identifying which countries and industries are most attractive to professionals, from an employer’s point of view. Below are key findings from Bayt.com worth mulling over:

Most Attractive Countries of Residence?

- 43% of total respondents believe their country of residence is either slightly or much more attractive than its neighboring countries in the Middle East, whereas 16% think it’s equally attractive and 30% agree it’s either slightly less or much less attractive.

- The UAE reigns in terms of attractiveness of country of residence with almost half of participating respondents (residing in the UAE) – at 49%- stating it is “much more” attractive than its neighboring countrie.

- KSA and Qatar follow UAE’s lead, with 41% and 38% of participants respectively confirming the above.

- At the lower end of the spectrum, participants from Syria, Algeria and Egypt are the least enthusiastic about the attractiveness of their countries of residence with 26%, 25% and 22% respectively stating they are much less attractive that other Middle Eastern countries.

Most Attractive Industries?

- All participants agree the most attractive countries around the region right now are: banking & finance ( at 32%), Telecom (at 31%) and Construction (at 28%), however, taking a closer look at every individual country, opinions differ.

- In the UAE, the construction industry still gets, surprisingly, the highest shares of votes- in spite of the doom and gloom it has endured throughout the past year (with 36% of votes). Banking&Finance ranks 2nd with 33% of votes and is followed by the oil, gas & petrochemicals industry at 28% of votes.

- In KSA, the Telecom industry stands out as the most attractive industry with 34% of votes. This is followed by Banking & Finance with 32% of votes and Construction at 31%.

- In Qatar, the Oil, Gas& Petrochemicals industry reigns with an overwhelming 41% of votes stating it is the most attractive industry –Construction comes next at 40% and Banking&Finance at 28%.

- In Kuwait, Banking&Finance scores the highest with 35% of participants stating it is the most attractive. Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals follow with 27% of votes and Telecom with 26% of votes.

- In Jordan, Banking&Finance ranks on top with 39% of votes- followed by IT at 31% and Telecom at 29%

- In Lebanon, the Tourism/ Hospitality industry steals the spotlights with 41% of votes, followed by Banking&Finance and Advertising with 38% and 37% of votes respectively.

- In Egypt, the Telecom industry fares best with 36% of participants stating it is the most attractive industry. Banking& Finance and Tourism/Hospitality follows with 31% and 28% of votes respectively.

- Morocco, like Lebanon, declares Tourism/ Hospitality as its most attractive industry – with 34% of votes- followed by Construction with 30% of the votes and both IT& Telecom with 27% of the votes.

Related posts: