Universum's Middle East Talent Survey 2016
Kuwait's upcoming pool of job-seekers has prioritized high wages as their main objective when choosing a career, a leading talent survey has revealed. Hundreds of university students were questioned by the international employment research company Universum, the majority of whom listed high future earnings as their leading career preference over factors including on-the-job training, opportunities to travel, and a creative work environment.
The findings show that Kuwait-based employers must offer competitive salaries in line with graduate expectations if they are to secure the best of the country's emerging talent pool.
Kuwait was one of six countries surveyed as part of the company's Middle East Talent Survey 2016, along with the UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Conducted over a six-month period, the research uncovers university students' attitudes about employers and what drives their career decision-making.
Key insight
Claudia Tattanelli, Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Board at Universum, said: "The findings offer employers a key insight into the priorities of Kuwait-based students. Firms that offer leadership opportunities, an innovative working environment, and the chance to travel overseas will be popular among graduates. However, they may miss out on the top talent if they are unable to offer the most competitive salaries." Universum is a global leader in employer attractiveness research and insights.
The company delivers a range of services to empower employers to better attract, recruit and retain talent. Its Kuwait survey gathered responses from 709 male and female students in five universities throughout the country. The majority of respondents were studying in fields related to banking/commerce, followed by engineering/IT and humanities/liberal arts/education/law.
High earnings
When asked what they looked for in their future employers, the majority of respondents across genders and degree subjects said they sought high future earnings, followed by on-the-job training and a company that respects its staff.
Comparing priorities between genders, women highly-rated opportunities for overseas travel and the need for a creative working environment, while men listed 'respect for its people' and 'prestige' as other key preferences. The desire for performance recognition was another leading preference among business/commerce and engineering/IT students. In terms of respondents' personal career goals, the desire for work/life balance was a leading ambition among business/commerce students.
The objective to be creative and entrepreneurial jumped four places from Universum's 2015 survey to rank second, making it a more desirable goal than job security and leadership opportunities. When asked to name their favored career industries, more than half of business/commerce students chose the banking sector, followed by professional services. When naming their ideal employer, the majority of respondents studying these subjects chose Kuwait Oil Company. Google, Kuwait Investment Authority and National Bank of Kuwait were also highly sought after companies to work for, the survey found.
Career goal
Turning to engineering/IT students, the ambition to be creative and entrepreneurial was the most commonly mentioned personal career goal, jumping four places from the 2015 survey. The majority of engineering/IT students chose the energy sector as the industry they would ideally work in after graduating. Engineering and manufacturing, aerospace and defense, and software and computer services were also popular choices. Kuwait Oil Company was the top choice among engineering/IT students with close to half of respondents selecting the energy giant. Google, Apple, Q8 and Microsoft made up the top five.
"The survey reveals that employers face a daunting task if they are to attract the best graduates away from Kuwait Oil Company," said Tattanelli. "However, our survey has revealed that more and more Kuwaiti students are seeking the chance to be creative and innovative in their careers, which is something that smaller companies can offer. "The Universum survey is a crucial tool in helping employers get an insight into what students are prioritizing in their future careers and enabling companies to match what they offer to student expectations."
© Kuwait Times 2016
